Court sentences man to twelve years in jail for setting house on fire

A 52-year old resident of barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment by the regional trial court yesterday after he confessed to burning his own house during a quarrel with the members of his family late last year.

Alexander Sy Olavides was earlier advised by his lawyer not to immediately admit his guilt, but he said there is really no need for such because he is already prepared for whatever punishment RTC judge Bienvenido Saniel Jr. will impose.

It was Olavides' wife and daughter who filed an arson case against the accused because they were very sure that it was him who set their house afire. Olavides' daughter said there were instances in the past when her father tried to burn their house, especially when he quarrels with her mother.

Aside from the house of Olavides, adjacent houses were also razed by the fire. Investigators pegged the damage at P5 million. - Rene U. Borromeo