MANILA — A police official on Sunday said the Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa slay case is already solved based on their parameters and even as it admits investigation will continue.

Southern Police District director Brig. Gen. Kirby John Kraft's declaration, however, was challenged by the camp of the murdered broadcaster.

According to Kraft, the case is solved based on set parameters following the identification and filing of charges against the suspects.

“Meron po tayong suspect na nasa atin nang custody. At ‘yung iba pa pong suspect, na-identify natin. At nakapag-file na po tayo ng murder case,” Kraft told ABS-CBN News in a phone interview.

A self-confessed gunman, identified as Joel Escorial, had reportedly surrendered to authorities and gave an extrajudicial confession about the crime that happened last Oct. 3

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He claimed that he and three others took part in the ambush of Mabasa for a fee of P550,000. One of the persons that commissioned him for the crime, Jun Villamor, was reported, however, to have died last week inside the New Bilibid Prison.

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Roy Mabasa, brother of the killed broadcaster, lamented that investigators may face the dead end following the death of Villamor as the mastermind of the crime is yet to be determined.

“Iba po ‘yung closed, iba po ‘yung solved. Patuloy pa po ‘yung imbestigasyon natin para matukoy natin kung sinong may kagagawan,” Kraft said.

For Mabasa's camp, the case remains unsolved until the mastermind has been unmasked and charged.

"Our definition of 'solved' is different... If we say 'solved', we had gotten into the mastermind," Berteni "Toto" Causing, a counsel of the victim's family, said.

Authorities have said that another middleman, identified as Christopher Bacoto, a detainee in a Bureau of Jail Management and Penology facility in Metro Manila, has been secured and moved to the PNP Custodial Center.

“Ayon po sa ating gunman, kinontak po siya nito upang isagawa po ‘yung pagpatay po kay ka Ka Percy,” Kraft told ANC in a separate interview.

“Nasa kustodiya po kasi ito ng BJMP. Alam niyo po, ‘yung mga nasa kustodiya po ng BJMP ay meron po itong court hearing. Ibig sabihin po, ito po ay nasa jurisdiction po ng korte. So kailangan po lahat po galaw, [kung] ilabas po sila sa jail facility, nangangailangan po ito ng court order," he added.

Following the announcement of Villamor's death last week, Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos said investigators will continue to talk to witnesses and double their efforts to gather other pieces of evidence until the mastermind is determined.

Mabasa was a commentator on DWIZ 882 KHZ and DWBL 1242 AM, and was critical of the Duterte administration and some policies and officials of the current administration.

A police spokesman had said it is highly probable the killing is related to his work.

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines said Mabasa is the second member of the press who was killed during the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.

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