MANILA (UPDATED) — Three Bilibid gang leaders pleaded guilty to a lesser degree as accessories in the murder of broadcaster Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa, and were sentenced to up to 8 years in prison by a Las Piñas court.

Lapid’s brother, Roy Mabasa, who was at the court room, initially posted the conviction on his Twitter handle Friday afternoon.

The information was subsequently confirmed to ABS-CBN News by a source at the National Prosecution Service of the Department of Justice.

According to Mabasa’s tweet, “Las Piñas City RTC Judge Harold Hulinganga sentenced three inmates Aldrin Galicia, Alvin Labra & Alfie Peñaredonda from 2 years up to 8 years imprisonment for their roles as accessories to murder broadcaster Percival Mabasa, also known as #PercyLapid, last October 3, 2022.”

Galicia, Labra and Peñaredonda are gang leaders of 3 different gangs inside the New Bilibid Prison who, according to authorities, helped facilitate the killing of Lapid.

Galicia was identified as the commander of the Sputnik Gang, Labra as commander of the BCJ Gang and Peñaredonda as commander of the HappyGoLucky Gang during the filing of murder raps against them in November last year.

Tagged as alleged masterminds are former Bureau of Corrections chief Gerald Bantag and his former deputy Ricardo Zulueta, who have both remained at large.

Based on the diagram presented by authorities, it was BCJ gang commander Labra and Sputnik Gang commander Galicia who talked to alleged middleman Jun Villamor, also an inmate of the NBP who was later killed after his involvement in the killing was revealed.

Villamor then allegedly talked to BJMP inmate Christopher Bacoto who found self-confessed gunman Joel Escorial, who admitted to the killing and claimed he received the order from Bilibid inmate Villamor, who offered P550,000 in exchange for the killing.

Lapid was killed outside his subdivision in Las Piñas on October 3, 2022.

His brother, Roy Mabasa, said the guilty plea and the conviction will “surely” help seal the case against Bantag.

“It’s an admission na merong crime na nanggaling sa kulungan. Meanwhile, nag-aantay tayo na lumabas na yung totoong mga masterminds dito,” he said.

The Department of Justice and the National Bureau of Investigation had earlier offered a reward of P2 million for information leading to the arrest of Bantag and P1 million for Zulueta.

DOJ Assistant Secretary Mico Clavano in a statement welcomed the guilty pleading of 3 Bilibid gang leaders, saying "they are not only doing this for the case but for themselves as well. It is a mitigating circumstance to plead guilty which will lessen their sentence for this crime."

But Clavano said the DOJ would not stop until they "see their principal, the brains behind the murders, plead guilty or convicted."

"That is the only time we can say that Justice has been served," he said.

• DOJ, NBI offer P2M reward for info on Bantag, P1M on Zulueta

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