Bantag faces court raps for Lapid slay

MANILA, Philippines — Suspended Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Gerald Bantag and several others, including inmates, will face court trial for the killing of broadcast journalist Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa and the alleged middleman in his kill contract, Cristito “Jun” Villamor.

In a resolution made public yesterday, Department of Justice (DOJ)prosecutors said they found probable cause to indict Bantag in court after months of what the Mabasa family have been calling “delaying tactics” on the side of the defense.

Among those who will face trial with Bantag are self-confessed gunman Joel Escorial and Bilibid prison gang leaders Denver Mayores, Alvin Labra, Aldrin Galicia and Alfie Peñaredonda as well as Christopher Bacoto, the other middleman who allegedly helped Villamor tap Bacoto for the hit.

Bantag, Labra and Galicia – alongside Bantag’s deputy Ricardo Zulueta – were also indicted as principals by inducement in the killing of Villamor. Also charged in this case were inmates Mario Alvarez, Joseph Georfo, Christian Ramac, Ricky Salgado, Ronnie dela Cruz and Joel Reyes.

In finding probable cause against Bantag, the prosecutors said “sufficient circumstantial evidence have been presented to establish that he masterminded the assassination of Percival.”

For Zulueta, “the statements of the respondent PDLs clearly establish his participation in the killing of Percival. His call to respondent Mayores, who he admitted to being a trustee and a kumpare, to look for a killer or hitman started the elaborate planning to assassinate Percy.”

The panel of prosecutors also recommended that the murder charges be filed before the Regional Trial Court of Las Piñas and Muntinlupa City, for the cases of Lapid and Villamor, respectively.

Lapid was gunned down in Las Piñas City last Oct. 3 while Villamor was believed to have been murdered while in detention at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa.

Based on the timeline of the kill contract mapped last year by the DOJ, Bantag allegedly gave the order to kill Lapid and tasked Zulueta to lay down the instructions on how to deliver the hit.

Zulueta then gave the instructions to Mayores, an alleged trusted aide of Bantag who is detained at the Iwahig Prison in Palawan, who subsequently cascaded the orders to Batang City Jail gang leader Labra. Labra then contacted Sputnik leader Galicia who tasked Villamor, a supposed member of Sputnik, to look for a hitman outside Bilibid.

It was at this point that Villamor asked his acquaintance Christopher Bacoto, another middleman being held by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, for help in looking for a hitman. The gunman they found, Joel Escorial, received the instructions and delivered the hit.

Peñaredonda, commander of the HappyGoLucky prison gang, allegedly served as the financier of the hit.

Meanwhile, another timeline showing the killing of Villamor showed how Bantag’s orders were cascaded in the same order, only this time, Galicia cascaded the orders down to Georfo and Alvarez, who then asked Sputnik gang members Ramac, Salgado, Dela Cruz and Reyes to kill Villamor.

Lapid’s family welcomed the DOJ’s resolution, saying they hope justice would finally be delivered after months of waiting.

“The Mabasa family is happy because the wait of several months for General Bantag and Zulueta to be charged with two counts of murder is over,” said Danilo Pelagio, counsel for the Mabasa family.

Pelagio said, however, that they expect Bantag to employ “delaying tactics” such as filing a motion for reconsideration.

“Yes of course. we don’t know if (the charges) can be filed in court right away but they still have the option to file a motion for reconsideration against the resolution,” he added.

Testimonies match

In finding probable cause, the panel of prosecutors said the statements given by inmates corroborate the finding that Bantag was the one who ordered the twin killings.

“The phrases ‘nainip na ang itaas,’ ‘itaas’ is already getting mad, ‘may utos si tanda,’ work coming from ‘taas’ were mentioned in the sinumpaang salaysay of the PDLs. They confirmed that the words “itaas,’ ‘taas’ and ‘tanda’ refer to respondent Bantag. In the organization of the Bucor, the director general is the highest position next to the Directorate for Security and Operations (DSO), the position which respondent Zulueta holds,” a DOJ briefer on the case read.

The DOJ also stated that the circumstances that led to the killing of Lapid – including the fact that Villamor told Escorial not to disclose Bantag’s name if they were ever caught, as well as the timing of the murder when Lapid had just uploaded videos showing Bantag’s house with a number of vehicles parked in front  – were not coincidental.

Statements by inmates disclosing a promise from Zulueta that he would talk to Bantag for early release of those involved also matched, the prosecutors said, noting that only Bantag would be allowed to grant early release under GCTA.

“The preliminary investigation established that the murders of Mabasa and Villamor were attended by a conspiracy between and among the respective respondents. The plan of the respondents to kill them both, including its execution, was shown by the evidence for the complainants. The prosecution notes that the death of Villamor was intertwined with the death of Percival and that the death of the former was used to cover up the death of the latter,” it added.

The indictment means that prosecutors may now file the charges before the courts if the accused would not appeal the resolution.

If Bantag and the others are charged, they can start filing motions and other pleadings before the court. The judges would then determine whether there is probable cause to issue arrest warrants.