An 84-year-old woman was set on fire by her own son-in-law.

The son-in-law drenched the woman, identified as Lolita Licuan, with gasoline and set her on fire afternoon on January 5, 2025 outside of their residence in Sitio Cambutan, Barangay Bolinawan, Carcar City, south Cebu.

According to relatives, the victim is in critical condition after sustaining third-degree burns.

The incident was caught on cellphone video by the 11-year-old son of the suspect.

The video showed that the victim was washing clothes when the suspect, identified as 55-year-old Ignacio Tribunalo, came looking for his wife (the daughter of the victim).  When he could not extract information from his mother-in-law on the whereabouts of his wife, the suspect set the victim on fire instead.

As the victim wailed in pain, relatives rushed to help her.

The suspect attempted to leave the area but neighbors stopped him. He was turned over to the Carcar City Police.

The authorities found four tumblers that contained gasoline; one was empty while the rest are still full.

The boy who witnessed the crime said he could not believe his father would do a horrible thing to his grandmother. He wants to see his father in jail for good. “Dili lang na siya pagawson. Maayo nga file-lan siya og kaso kay kon makagawas na siya, mangamatay jud mi. Mangasunog mi,” the child said.

When the suspect was asked why he set his mother-in-law on fire, he said he was only looking for his wife because he wants her to come home to Minglanilla.

He said his wife has not come home since December 16, 2024.

The 11-year-old boy told GMA Regional TV Balitang Bisdak that his mother fled because she has always been battered by the suspect. “Iyang bunalan og bakus…dili ko kapasaylo niya kay luoy kaayo akong lola. Tiguwang na gud na. Wala siya’y respeto,” he said.

However, the elder sister of the boy came to defend their father.

She said that their father is a good man, but could have committed the crime having had “enough of his personal challenges and sorrow.”

The relatives of the victim are determined to file a case against the suspect.

Police Lt. Col.  Ruel Burlat, chief of the Carcar City Police Station, confirmed that a case for frustrated murder against the suspect was filed on Tuesday, January 7, 2024.

The family of the victim has appealed to the public on financial help for her medical expenses.

The wife of the suspect  refused an on-camera interview, but she expressed that her husband should be sued and imprisoned for threatening their lives.