UPACC chair faces arson complaint at DOJ

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has been asked by a couple from Capas, Tarlac, to investigate United Pilipino Against Crime and Corruption (UPACC) chairperson Pyra Nucum Lucas and three others over the burning of their newly built home, which the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) classified as an intentional fire.

Lucas, a social media personality, Arthur Aquino and two other unidentified individuals were accused by Emil and Analyn Cadiang of destructive arson in a complaint filed with the DOJ on Sept. 14, according to documents submitted by the complainants.

The BFP's findings did not establish who was responsible for the June 28, 2025, blaze.

In a letter to Prosecutor General Richard Anthony Fadullon, the couple's lawyer sought DOJ intervention, citing safety concerns and difficulties participating in proceedings before the Tarlac provincial prosecutor's office.

The Cadiangs, in their joint affidavit, said Emil saw Lucas and a heavyset man pulling down the roofing-sheet fence surrounding their property in Sitio Hotspring, Barangay Bueno, while a woman recorded the incident. Aquino was also allegedly present.

Emil said another man chased him downhill after shouting, "May tao!" He later saw thick black smoke rising from the house.

The complainants alleged that the respondents watched the house burn from beside a white vehicle. Emil said he later found gasoline containers on the property.

The allegations have yet to be established in court.

The couple said Aquino had been claiming about 260 square meters of the property since 2023, while Lucas attended barangay meetings as his attorney-in-fact.

A June 9, 2025, letter signed by Lucas as UPACC chairperson asked the barangay captain to investigate and remove the fence and a hut on the disputed property.

The complaint also cited an alleged statement by Aquino days before the fire: "Si Ma'am Pyra na lang ang bahala sa inyo" (Ma'am Pyra will take care of you).

It further referenced a neighbor's account that Aquino allegedly said the group had agreed only to scare the family. The neighbor was not identified as a firsthand witness to the fire.

The BFP classified the fire as intentional, citing clean burn patterns, substantial material loss in the middle of the structure and the absence of an accidental heat source.

Fire responders arrived at 5:37 p.m., when the blaze had already been extinguished. The BFP estimated the damage at P200,000 and said evidence had been submitted for forensic analysis.