Tempo, October 21, 2006
Four Filipino-Japanese children, aged three to 15, were burned to death before dawn yesterday in a four-hour fire that razed a row of houses in Puerto Princesa City in Palawan.
Relatives and local residents of the burning houses were not able to rescue three-year old Marianne; Ryoko, 10; Yoga, 13; and Rogelyn, 15, all surnamed Kosuki, since their room was locked from the inside, said Senior Superintendent Arsenio Pinacate, Palawan Provincial Police Office director.
"They were all burned beyond recognition," said Pinacate, adding that the fire razed to the ground at least 11 houses in Purok Sampaguita, Barangay Mandaragat, Puerto Princesa City.
It was learned that Roselyn, the mother of the victims, desperately tried to rescue her children but failed as the flame already gobbled up their house. The victims' father, Japanese businessman Kosuki Koroke, was on a business trip in Cebu.
Pinacate said local arson investigators are yet to establish the cause of the fire but he confirmed that it started at the house of the victims at 1:45 a.m.
"Initial investigation conducted revealed that the fire originated at the first floor while the victims were sleeping on the second floor of the house," said Pinacate.
"Investigators found the cadavers of the victims near the door of their room," he added.
Arson investigators revealed that the fire might have been caused by a lighted candle since the victims' househelp reportedly admitted that she used it in sealing off some plastic packages before they slept on Thursday night.
The fire spread to at least 10 houses, also causing injuries to a certain Danilo Eleazar.
Pinacate said the fire rendered 16 families homeless, adding that probers have yet to assess the amount of damage to property.
