Woman spurned burns Butuan radio station

BUTUAN CITY, Philippines—A woman, protesting she had been spurned once too many by a disc jockey, burned down the Love Radio FM station here Thursday morning.

Rose Canquera, 19, a native of Guingoog City in Misamis Oriental, told another radio station shortly after her arrest that she had been coming back to the station in the Lucibenino Building at A.D. Curato Street here since last year to convince Jay “Benjie Parak” Abordo to date her.

But she said Abordo, whom she admired very much, had been avoiding her.

Israel Palermo, Love Radio station manager, said Canquera came to the station around 7 a.m. Thursday looking  for Abordo.

When told that the disc jockey was not around, Palermo said, Canquera suddenly poured about two liters of gasoline on the station’s main door and set it on fire.

“She must be mentally deranged,” he said.

Palermo said efforts to put out the fire failed and it soon spread and gutted at least five more establishments in the same building.

Palermo said Canquera tried to burn the building last year because of her obsession with Abordo. She poured gasoline on the doorway but was prevented from lighting it.

Canquera is now being held under police custody as investigation continues.

Alrick Gomez, city fire marshall, said they were investigating the incident, which destroyed some P5 million worth of studio equipment and other property.

Despite the suspect’s admission over the radio, Gomez said fire officials were not saying it was indeed arson.