Lustre still a suspect — police

He’s not off the hook yet.

A ranking official of the Central Police District dismissed reports yesterday that journalist turned public relations man Philip Lustre is off the hook in last Saturday’s fire that killed his mistress and five relatives in Quezon City.

The police officer in the Central Investigation Division, who requested anonymity, said although no witness has yet come out to make a formal statement, Lustre is still considered the primary suspect in the case.

"As soon as we gather enough evidence and official statements, then we can finally determine if Mr. Lustre is involved in the crime or not. Until then he can remain free but he was the only one inside the apartment before the fire started," he told The STAR in an interview.

According to Senior Inspector Rodolfo Jaraza, chief of the Central Investigation Unit, operatives are still conducting follow-up investigations on the case to determine if it was arson or an accident.

Senior Superintendent Rodolfo Tor, CPD director, told a press conference the other day that for lack of complainants, the police will have to make Lustre a witness in the case.

Jaraza, however, said if any complainants come forward anytime soon, Lustre may again be tagged as the primary suspect. He was quick to point out that whoever was responsible for the fire acted alone.

Lustre presented himself to Tor last Sunday, a day after his girlfriend Violeta Robles, cousin Veronica Roxas and her four children perished in a fire that gutted an apartment he was renting at 54-H Malakas Street, Barangay Pinyahan, Quezon City.

He was initially linked to the suspected arson after neighbors identified him as the last person seen leaving the apartment at 3 a.m. Lustre subsequently denied any involvement in the fire.

"I have no knowledge how it started. And I am innocent. I cannot commit a crime to my relatives and to the mother of my child," he said. – Matthew Estabillo