Bantag slips from NBI dragnet in Baguio City

BAGUIO CITY — Former Bureau of Corrections chief Gerald Bantag, for the second time, slipped from authorities early Saturday morning when agents of the National Bureau of Investigation- Cordillera Administrative Region (NBI-CAR) went to one of the alleged lair of the former corrections official in Mines View barangay in Baguio City.

NBI agents led by Assistant Regional Director Daniel Daganzo, converged at around 6 a.m. Saturday before heading incognito toward a building serving as headquarters of the Igorot Warriors International (IWI). However, they failed to locate Bantag.

Bantag is the chairman of IWI which fielded the former BuCor chief’s brother as its number one nominee during the May 2022 party-list elections.

IWI had also been in the forefront of organizing solidarity street demonstrations and gatherings in Baguio City supporting Bantag.

The NBI agents sought to issue the warrant of arrest against Bantag for murder of broadcaster Percy Lapid and two more BuCor prisoners who accused the former official of ordering their killing.

NBI agents earlier raided two houses in Laguna province and Marikina City allegedly being used by Bantag but failed to corner the fugitive.

“We will not stop here and continue looking for him,” vowed an NBI Special Investigator who was the team leader of the armed-to-the-teeth NBI-CAR contingent which conducted the raid.

Bantag had been sending surrender feelers to the government since last year, including his turning in to a very influential official from the North very close to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., but had not fulfilled such promise apparently irritating the Department of Justice.