Radio station fire seen work of priest, says cop

CITY OF CALAPAN—Police may need not go far in their search for the culprit behind the burning of a Church-run radio station in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro, as a suspect, according to a ranking police officer, could be a wolf in sheep’s clothing—a priest.

Chief Supt.  Artemio Hicban, regional director of the Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan) police, went as far as saying a priest could be involved in the arson. Police in the province would only say “insiders” were being investigated.

According to Hicban, Bishop Antonio Palang, a priest and a nun “earlier received threats from another priest who threatened to put the radio station on fire.” Hicban won’t identify the suspect priest.

Palang, head of the Apostolic Vicariate of San Jose, and another priest would submit affidavits narrating what they know about the case, according to Senior Supt. Michael Baysa, provincial police chief.

Police learned that an employee of the radio station, who could be a priest, was fired recently due to irregularities found when an internal audit of Church funds was conducted.

“This employee threatened to burn down the station,” Hicban said. He, however, declined to say if this employee and the priest who had issued threats were one and the same person.

The building housing the AM and FM stations of dzVT in Barangay Labangan was destroyed by fire on Oct. 26. At about the same time, a fire also started at the radio station’s finance office in another building but it was quickly put out.

Investigators discovered a previous attempt to set fire to the radio station on Oct. 20. The arson and attempted arson, investigators said, came as radio station management planned to conduct an audit of the station’s finances.

Chief Superintendent Hicban said police have identified the man who supplied the gasoline used in the fire. “We still need to get the testimony of a key witness,” said Hicban.