Cop, wife dead in Danao fire

CEBU CITY, Philippines—A policeman and his wife were killed in a fire that struck their house shortly before midnight on Saturday just as the couple was preparing to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary by attending a predawn Mass in Danao City, some 33 km north of here.

SPO2 Felix Matbagon, 52, and his wife, Elisa, 53, were killed after they were trapped inside their room on the second floor of their two-story house in Barangay Poblacion past 11 p.m.

Their daughter, Liezel Herminanda, 30, a public elementary school teacher, and her husband, Antonio, 30, suffered burns.

Liezel, who was carrying her 2-year-old daughter Aizel, and Antonio jumped off from their room on the second floor. Liezel threw the girl to neighbors who were waiting to catch the child.

The couple were brought to a hospital in Cebu City.

Fire investigators were checking reports that the fire may have been triggered by substandard lights strung around the Christmas tree in the living room.

“The cause of the fire could be faulty electrical wiring,” said Chief Insp. Ricky Delilis, chief of the Danao City police.

But Bernadette Matbagon, 23, and youngest of three siblings, said they could not believe that the fire was caused by the Christmas lights.

She said her brother Alfie noticed that the Christmas lights were unplugged before he left their parents’ house on Friday night.

Bernadette said she and Alfie visited their parents on Friday, the eve of their 30th wedding anniversary. Alfie and Bernadette live separately from their parents.

She said her parents slept early on Friday because they wanted to attend the dawn Mass on Saturday to celebrate their anniversary. Felix was set to retire in January.

He applied for early retirement after 24 years of police service. The police officer had stopped reporting for work at the Danao City police station since Oct. 1.