Investing in a strong padlock may not anymore guarantee that your building is safe from intruders. Burglars in Dumaguete City today, don't break doors anymore to get in a building - they pass through the roof. And if that's not enough, they burn the building on their way out.

The telltale signs of holes on the roofs of several burned buildings say it all, causing jitters among the members of the business community.

Some Dumaguete businessmen, especially those victimized by this modus operandi, have issued calls to authorities to get to the bottom of these incidents but still, Dumaguete keeps waking up to the sound of fire engines in the dead of night because of this same crime.

The latest incident happened last Thursday dawn at the Universal Watch Repair Shop along Pinili Street, which lost 40 watches and P6,000 cash. Among the debris was the roof with a hole in it, said Dumaguete Fire chief Arnulfo Sayson.

Sayson said the other businesses which went up in smoke this year in the same manner were the Magbanua building along Real Street, the Lim Lotto outlet near the public market, the HVL auto supply along Real St, and Winston Electronics, also along the same road.

There may have been other victims which Sayson could not immediately recall in a telephone interview. "We cannot identify the suspects but the pattern is very clear," he said, "and we are coordinating with police to help identify the suspects." But Supt. Dionardo Carlos, the Dumaguete City police chief, has yet to receive the request from the Fire Department.

"I reviewed the cases since January but the fire department is saying that the common cause of fires is faulty electrical wiring," Carlos said.

He said in the absence of a report of an arson investigator who could categorically say that arson was involved, "we cannot officially say that there's a series of robberies with arson."

Carlos admitted that his office has been getting inquiries from higher headquarters about the fires. "Our superiors are breathing down our necks on this issue and we have to find evidence that would really say there is a pattern that indicates arson."

On September 30, two fires struck Dumaguete. The first fire, which was believed to have been caused by an electrical short circuit, happened about 4 a.m. hit the depot of the Double L Construction along Mango Avenue in Barangay Piapi, destroying many construction supplies.

Then, about 5 pm, fire hit the newspaper outlet and variety store of Hi Top Enterprises along Hibbard Avenue and Katada streets. The fire was believed to have started from an electrical surge following a whole-day brownout.

The Negros Oriental Chamber of Commerce and Industry has scheduled a meeting between its members and the chiefs of the police and fire departments on October 13. NOCCI president Manuel Sagarbarria said the meeting aims to find solutions to the present problem and to prevent future incidents from occurring.*AP

back to top