We know where Bantag is – DOJ

MANILA, Philippines — The government has tracked down the whereabouts of former Bureau of Corrections chief Gerald Bantag, but law enforcement authorities are taking precautions in arresting the wanted fugitive who earlier vowed he would rather die than end up in jail, an official of the Department of Justice (DOJ) said yesterday.

DOJ spokesman Mico Clavano said they have information where Bantag – who is wanted for the murder of broadcaster Percy Lapid and alleged middleman Cristito Villamor Palaña – is hiding.

“We are aware of his whereabouts. It’s just that we know he won’t allow himself to be captured alive,” Clavano said at a news forum at the Dapo Restaurant and Bar in Quezon City.

“It’s also hard for us to place our law enforcement agents in a precarious or a dangerous spot. We hope to do this in the most peaceful manner,” he added.

While he did not disclose the specific place where Bantag is hiding, Clavano said it is a far-flung area where the fugitive is surrounded by his supporters.

Last April, agents of the National Bureau of Investigation raided an alleged Bantag lair in Barangay Mines View Park in Baguio, but he slipped away from authorities.

A Baguio native, Bantag has been monitored moving from one remote area to another to avoid arrest.

Based on what the former corrections chief had stated before going into hiding, Clavano said Bantag will not surrender peacefully.

“We can only assume that he will not go down without a fight,” he said.

While they are open to negotiations, Clavano stressed the government will only accede to very reasonable conditions that any Filipino can ask for.

Bantag was tagged as the mastermind in the murder of Lapid – Percival Mabasa in real life – in Las Piñas on Oct. 3, 2022.

Villamor, on the other hand, was believed murdered upon Bantag’s order while in detention at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa.

Villamor was killed shortly after self-confessed gunman Joel Escorial revealed – when asked by Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos – that the order to kill the broadcaster came from Bilibid.