MetroBriefs

Man nabbed for trying to burn house in QC

A man was arrested after he reportedly tried to burn down his family’s house when his father refused to give him money to buy cigarettes. A report from the Bureau of Fire Protection identified the alleged fire-starter as Marvin dela Cruz, 23, a resident of Barangay Commonwealth.  SFO2 Fortunato Alde said the incident happened at 11:30 p.m. on Sunday. When his father, Sony, refused to give him money for cigarettes, Dela Cruz got irked and tried to set his things on fire. Their neighbors, however, managed to put out the blaze. Police took Dela Cruz into custody pending the results of their investigation.  Julie M. Aurelio

Hearing set on tricycle fare hike in Antipolo

The Antipolo City Council announced yesterday that it had set a public hearing on the proposed increase in tricycle fares, citing skyrocketing fuel prices. Councilor Juanito Lawis drafted the proposed ordinance based on the petition filed by the local association of tricycle operators and drivers. Earlier, the Antipolo City Tricycle Operators and Drivers Association Federation sought to hike fares from P8 to P9.50 on top of an additional P1 for every succeeding kilometer for regular trips. They cited the rising cost of fuel products, motor parts and basic commodities. “We have studied the association’s petition and we felt that the fare hike would be very much needed by our tricycle drivers and operators,” Lawis said in a statement e-mailed to the Inquirer. The public hearing was set on May 12 at 1:39 p.m. at the multipurpose hall in the Victory Park and Shop to discuss the proposed ordinance. “It has been a long time since we approved an ordinance increasing the fare. We all know that the price of almost everything has gone up since,” Lawis said, referring to the 2009 ordinance which authorized tricycle operators to hike their fare to P8.50. Niña Calleja