Cops singing new tune on arson on MSU campus

ZAMBOANGA CITY—Police are trying to shorten the list of possible motives for the arson last Oct. 25 inside the state-run Mindanao State University (MSU) that killed two people and are inclined to conclude that persons irked at the operations of a videoke joint in the arson site are behind the attack.

Senior Superintendent Romeo Magsalos, Lanao del Sur police chief, said police now tend to believe that the arson was not motivated by robbery or a crime of passion as officials earlier theorized.

Killed during the fire were Othello Cobal and Cobal’s 22-year-old aide, Erwin Diaz. Diaz’s 13-year-old sister, whose identity was withheld, survived the fire.

Magsalos said Cobal operated a videoke bar and Internet cafe in the building that was set on fire.

Police said the bodies of Cobal and Diaz were found with their hands tied behind their backs, which prompted two theories—that robbers were behind the arson or that the two dead men were victims of a crime of passion.

“Initially, we pursued many angles,” said Magsalos. “Now, we are pursuing the angle of videoke operations. My apologies, but I cannot fully explain well why Marawi folk object to videoke,” said Magsalos.

He said that days before the arson, Cobal received threats from unidentified people protesting his videoke joint but Cobal just ignored the threats. Julie S. Alipala, Inquirer Mindanao