Family of Percy Lapid mulls filing of charges vs Bantag - spox

MANILA (UPDATE) — Suspended Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Gerald Bantag is considered a “person of interest” in the Percival "Percy Lapid" Mabasa killing, the justice department said Monday.

“Well, he is a person of interest. Definitely he’s a person of interest at least for reckless imprudence that is already being sought,” Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla said of Bantag.

“All possible suspects are being considered. All angles are being considered. We have to be thorough with this,” he told reporters during a chance interview at the DOJ in Padre Faura, Manila while the preliminary investigation on the Mabasa case was ongoing.

Philippine National Police chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin, Jr. also told a news conference in Camp Crame that Bantag is among 160 personalities who were subjects of Mabasa's commentaries and are considered now as "persons of interest" in the case.

Azurin said he was informed that since 2021, Mabasa had "600 postings" of his commentaries on various issues, covering around 160 politicians, policemen and military men, among others.

"Eto mga tinitingnan natin na mga probable na baka may kinalaman dun sa pagkamatay ni Percy," he said.

But Remulla explained that he “cannot comment on the guilt or innocence of these people,” referring to Bantag and other names that have cropped up during the investigation, appealing to the media not report unvalidated names yet.

• Marcos orders BuCor chief's suspension after death of 'middleman' in Percy Lapid slay

“We have not stopped studying all possibilities. Those names are familiar already. And that we’re not stopping. I will turn over many of the information to the NBI this afternoon so they can validate the information. I will ask them also to speak with the witnesses inside the custodial center so that this can be properly validated,” he said.

Meanwhile, the family of Mabasa said they would file administrative and criminal charges against Bantag.

“We are happy to announce at least administrative case pa lang, sasampahan na namin ng kaso si Gen. Bantag sapagkat naging pabaya siya at nakalusot ang cellphone,” lawyer Berteni Causing, the spokesperson of the Mabasa family, said on the sidelines of the preliminary investigation conducted by DOJ prosecutors.

“Kung hindi dahil may cellphone itong middleman, hindi sana napatay si Ka Percy. Wala sanang kontratang nangyari,” he added.

(We are happy to announce that we will at least file an administrative case against Gen. Bantag because he had been neglectful and a cellphone was smuggled into Bilibid. If the middleman had no cellphone, Ka Percy would not have been killed. No hit contract would have happened.)

Causing was referring to alleged middleman Crisanto Villamor, Jr., also known as Jun Globa Villamor, who supposedly offered and paid confessed gunman Joel Escorial P550,000 in exchange for the killing of Mabasa.

Escorial confessed to shooting Lapid thrice on the evening of Oct. 3, 2022, outside the subdivision in Las Piñas City where the Mabasas live.

Aside from an administrative case, the Mabasas are also looking at filing a criminal charge of “reckless imprudence resulting in murder.”

“Kasi kung hindi imprudence, walang cellphone na mangyayari sa loob ng kulungan. At kung walang cellphone, walang patayan na nangyari. It’s through his recklessness that resulted into the death of Percy Lapid,” Causing said of Bantag.

(Were it not for imprudence, there would have been no cellphone inside the penitentiary. And without a cellphone, no murder would have happened.)

ABS-CBN News sought Bantag's comment and is awaiting his reply.

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Causing earlier said Escorial could serve as a state witness for the Mabasa case.

"Sa ngayon, ang sabi namin sa kanya, kung maibigay mo sa amin ang mastermind, kami mismo ang magfa-file ng motion sa Korte tsaka persecutor na gagawin ka naming state witness," he told TeleRadyo.

(We told him, if you could give us the mastermind, we will file a motion in the court, with the prosecutors to make you a state witness.)

The spokesperson said they believe Escorial knew the mastermind behind the killing, as he is longtime friends with Villamor.

"Naniniwala pa rin po kami dahil sa mga research namin, matagal na pala yung samahan nila sa namatay na middleman," he said.

(We believe that because in our research, we found he had a long history with the middleman.)

VILLAMOR AUTOPSY

Causing, who attended the preliminary investigation as spokesperson and not as lawyer of the Mabasas, also expressed doubt over the results of the autopsy on Villamor.

The National Bureau of Investigation found no gunshot wounds and no external physical injuries on the body of Villamor. Instead, it found a hemorrhagic area in the left ventricle of the heart.

The BuCor ruled out foul play. But on Monday morning on ANC Rundown, forensic pathologist Dr. Raquel Fortun said its 2-page memo was not a technical report and could not be considered conclusive.

Fortun also said there were no findings about the head or the brain of Villamor, and if asphyxia or the loss of oxygen had been looked into.

Fortun questioned why the body was embalmed before it was autopsied, noting the effect of chemicals on the tissue samples which are to undergo histopathology and toxicology exams.

• 'So vague:' Forensic pathologist casts doubt on Lapid slay middleman's autopsy

Causing said the Mabasa family wanted to find out if Villamor was poisoned.

He also said that Remulla agreed to write to the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) to unseal pertinent bank records, so they could track who paid Escorial to shoot Mabasa.

"In-assure sa amin ni Secretary Boying Remulla na siya mismo ang susulat sa AMLC para makukuha ang transaction, ang pagpapalit-palit ng pera papunta kay Joel Escorial, para malaman namin."

(Secretary Boying Remulla assured us that he would write to the AMLC to get the transaction, the flow of money to Joel Escorial.)

• Escorial's passbook supports claim about P550,000-fee for Lapid slay - police

Remulal also said he spoke to Fortun and she “basically” agreed to conduct the re-autopsy.

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Prosecutor General Benedicto Malcontento is set to issue a statement on the preliminary investigation, as it was closed off to the media.

Escorial appeared at the preliminary investigation.

Causing told ANC's Dateline Philippines that Escorial submitted a supplemental extrajudicial confession during the proceeding.

Remulla said it was premature to discuss Escorial’s state witness status as that would only kick in once charges were filed in court.

Meanwhile, Remulla confirmed some movements in the BuCor as some Bureau of Jail Management and Penology personnel deployed to BuCor jails can now return to their units following the lapse of a memorandum of agreement between the DOJ and the BJMP.