Why, Lord? Why my children? Tragedy in Bulacan.

Now, Kim Aspero—the father—is left alone, with nothing but pain and heartbreaking memories.

This is what police investigations have uncovered. It turns out that the couple had been having marital issues even before the horrifying incident. A 28-year-old mother and her three sons—aged one, three, and six—tragically perished in a fire that occurred in Barangay San Vicente, Sta. Maria, Bulacan, on a May morning.

According to a neighbor, she saw the mother stepping out of the house just before the incident. “There were two people screaming, saying there’s a fire! When I looked, smoke was already coming out. We all worked together to break open the gate nearby. We helped by fetching water, and I got a blanket to cover the child, but we couldn’t see them inside—it was too dark,” she said.

The father of the children was not home at the time as he had gone to work in Batangas. The house was locked, so neighbors decided to break the door open.

One witness, Rom Esponde, said they first saw the burning and found the one-year-old boy lifeless on the bed. The two other boys were found in the bathroom. “I carried the second child. He was crying, I could still hear his heartbeat… but I couldn’t do anything,” Rom shared emotionally.

The two boys and their mother were rushed to the hospital, but all eventually passed away.

According to the initial investigation by the Bureau of Fire Protection, matches and two bottles of paint thinner were found inside the house. SFO3 Alfredo Hernandez, Chief Fire Investigator of Santa Maria BFP, stated: “Based on our findings, it seems the child was directly burned. The fire didn’t start from the structure; the human bodies were the primary targets. The property burning was secondary. This fire clearly started with a direct flame—like a match.”

Barangay Captain Potensiano Lorenzo of San Vicente said that just before dawn, the children’s mother had gone to their office to file a blotter report about her marital issues. “She came the night before to report the problem. We were planning to summon both parties for mediation, but that never happened. The next day, we were faced with this tragic fire.”

Imagine having nothing—no food, no milk for your children, no one to turn to. Depression is not a joke.

Six-year-old Kimwell and his 28-year-old mother fought for their lives at the hospital but didn’t survive. Before taking his last breath, Kimwell told his father, “I love you, Daddy.”

Now, Kim Aspero is left utterly alone, carrying nothing but unbearable grief and memories.