A 21-year-old man is currently detained at the Inayawan Police Station after attempting to set fire to their family home in Sitio Upper Tabucanal, Barangay Poblacion Pardo, Cebu City, on Saturday afternoon, July 4, 2026.
Suspect Identified and Charges Filed
The suspect has been identified as Jovic Omboy Bariquit Jr., who will face arson charges. According to the investigation by fire officials and police, Bariquit suddenly attacked his 15-year-old younger brother. After the commotion, the suspect went up to the second floor of their house and locked himself in a room.
Details of the Incident
After about 15 minutes, using a disposable lighter, Bariquit set fire to papers placed on top of a portable butane stove. He also ignited a calendar hanging on the wall, causing the fire to spread. Family members and neighbors quickly cooperated by manually splashing water, which extinguished the fire before firefighters and police arrived. Only the wall of the house was damaged, estimated at P1,500. The suspect was immediately arrested by barangay tanods and turned over to the police.
Suspect Admits to Act, Cites Stress
In an interview with SunStar Superbalita Cebu, Bariquit admitted his mistake and attributed it to a lack of sound judgment due to sadness. “Many problems, I was very stressed, many stories! Aside from that vice, many issues made me angry, I burned our home,” Bariquit recounted. He also apologized to his father, younger brother, and neighbors for the trouble and worry he caused, stating that he is ready to face the charges filed against him.
