Task force files criminal complaint against 33 persons for Davao mall fire where 38 died

August 30, 2018

DAVAO CITY - An interagency task force investigating the December 2017 fire on the NCCC Mall where 38 call center agents died filed criminal complaints on Thursday against 33 persons, including family members of the mall owner.

The task force filed the complaint at 1:30 pm before the City Prosecutor’s Office before meeting family members and relatives of 38 victimse.

The complaints were reckless imprudence resulting to multiple homicide and frustrated homicide, violation of the anti-graft and corrupt practices, violation of the provision of the fire code, and falsification of public documents.

Six members of the Lim family, including one Lafayette Lim, chief executive officer of the LTS Malls Inc, were named in the homicide case.

The LTS Malls Inc. operates the NCCC Mall that burned on December 23 2017. The 38 call center agents  were of the US digital research company, Survey Sampling International. Its chairman of the board, Jose Antonio San Gabriel, was included in the homicide case.

The complaint was signed by Fire Superintendent Anthony Figurasin, team leader of the anti-arson section of the task force, “on behalf of the State and ‘People versus’ the respondents, said retired Police Superintendent Warlito Daus, executive assistant and chief of staff of the Office of the Undersecretary on Public Safety of the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

Asked why it took them eight months to complete the investigation, Daus said “we just wanted to ensure that the case is airtight”. He added the change in the Secretary of the Department of Justice also contributed to the delay in the investigation. DMS