By Mia E. Abellana
Sun.Star Staff Reporter
TO KEEP a 17-year-old boy with special needs safe, his parents and his guardian locked him up inside the house while they went about their business.
Yesterday, their safety measures backfired as fire ate up the house in the mountain barangay with Radigundo “Junior†Villarobe Jr. still in it.
Neighbors in Sitio Labis, Barangay Bonbon, Cebu City tried desperately to fill pails of water from the nearby spring, but their efforts were not enough to douse the flames.
Junior, the only son of Radigundo Sr. and Pasencia Villarobe, was alone watching TV.
The teen’s guardian Jefferson Mabatid had some errands to run and decided to lock Junior inside at 1:30 p.m.
Because times have been hard on the family, his mother Pasencia said she was forced to sell food stuff in Banawa and only came home once a week.
She was scheduled to return home today.
Someone who heard the radio newscast informed her that her house had burned down, which was why she and husband Radigundo came rushing to Bonbon.
“Pinangga kaayo na namo. Naggrocery gani ko para niya nahabilin didto sa syudad (I really loved him. I even bought groceries for him, which I had to leave in the city),†said Pasencia, who was in tears.
She and her husband had gone to Minglanilla town yesterday to see a faith healer.
Pasencia said she was feeling some pains and wanted it healed.
Around 3 p.m., neighbors heard an explosion, and saw the Villarobe house on fire.
They told a team from radio dyHP that they all tried to douse the flames, but they could not get near because it was too hot.
Special child
Pasencia, in a radio dyHP interview, said her son was a special child.
She said they had to keep him inside the house because he sometimes acted up. To make him behave, Pasencia said she would use fire because Junior was afraid of this and would immediately obey her when he saw this.
She explained that Junior would sometimes run around naked and hurt animals, which was why they had to make sure he was indoors.
He also did not like being stared at and would hurt those who did.
To entertain him, Pasencia said he would play with his “brick†game or would watch TV.
Aside from being the only son, Junior was the youngest of four siblings.
His sisters have all moved out and started their own families.
Homicide investigator SPO3 Alex Dacua said they will coordinate with the Bureau of Fire Protection to find out where the fire started.
Assistance
Neighbors said it started upstairs. (The first floor of the house was made of concrete, but the second floor was made of wooden materials).
The floor of the second level reportedly crashed, which was why Junior was found in the first floor.
Since Junior was a minor and had special needs, SPO3 Dacua said they will also ask the Department of Social Welfare and Development if his parents could be cited for negligence for leaving him on his own without an adult to supervise him.
Sitio Labis is two kilometers from the barangay hall.
Barangay Captain Alex Abarita said he will ask the City if it can provide any assistance to the family.
In June last year, a polio-stricken man was killed during a fire that hit his house in Barangay Day-as.
Raul Tura’s brothers
left for work so he was alone in the house when the fire broke and razed 10 homes.
never never lock somebody up jud.. maski joke rana..
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