THE Department of Justice (DOJ) has indicted suspended Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Gerald Bantag for two counts of murder in connection with last year’s killing of radio commentator Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa and Bilibid inmate Cristito Palana Villamor, alias Jun Villamor, the alleged middleman in the assassination case.
The resolution indicting Bantag was dated March 9 but was made public only yesterday.
Bantag and his former deputy, Ricardo Zulueta, were tagged as “principals by inducement” in both Lapid and Villamor killings.
For the killing of Lapid, prosecutors named self-confessed gunman Joel Escorial and his companions Israel Dimaculangan, Edmon Dimaculangan and one alias “Orly” as “principals by direct participation.”
Five Bilibid inmates — Denver Mayores, Alvin Labra, Aldrin Galicia, Alfie Penaredonda and Christopher Bacoto — were implicated as “principals by indispensable cooperation.”
For the killing of Villamor, the DOJ tagged Labra and Galicia as principals by inducement, while six other Bilibid inmates, namely Mario Alvarez, Joseph Georfo, Christian Ramac, Ricky Salgado, Ronnie Dela Cruz and Joel Reyes were charged as principal by direct participation.
“On the part of respondent Bantag, sufficient circumstantial evidence has been presented to establish that he masterminded the assassination of Percival Mabasa,” the DOJ resolution stated.
As to Zulueta, the prosecutors said that aside from the statements of the inmates that “clearly established” his participation in Lapid’s killing, his call to Mayores to look for a killer or hitman “started the elaborate planning” for the assassination.
“Moreover, it was respondent Zulueta who provided the amount of P350,000 as additional payment to the hitman/killer and told respondent Labra that respondent Bantag is thanking him for the assassination,” the DOJ added.
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has earlier said there was allegedly a direct line of communication from Bantag to Zulueta to inmate gang leader Mayores and Labra, who were the ones who supposedly tasked Galicia to find people to execute the hit on Lapid.
It was purportedly Galicia who orchestrated the killing of the late broadcaster through gang members and their contacts outside the national penitentiary, leading to the participation of Escorial, the Dimaculangans and Orly.
To this date, the Dimaculangans and Orly remain at large.
As to the killing of Villamor, the NBI has said that it was allegedly Bantag who gave the order to Zulueta who then relayed the directive to Mayores.
Mayores supposedly contacted Labra, who subsequently purportedly gave the go-ahead to Galicia.
It was also allegedly Galicia who orchestrated the killing of Villamor by instructing Georfo, a Sputnik gang member, who passed the order to Alvarez, another member of Sputnik.
Alvarez then allegedly instructed Salado, Ramac, Dela Cruz, and Reyes to kill Villamor by suffocation using a plastic bag.
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla has earlier said that Lapid was killed due to his exposes in his radio program “Lapid Fire” while Villamor was allegedly silenced by his own gang mates to prevent him from spilling the beans on who was behind the murder of the broadcaster.
“The prosecution notes that the timing of the uploaded videos and the commencement of the planning of Percival Mabasa’s assassination is not coincidental,” the resolution said, adding that the “preliminary investigation established that the murders of Mabasa and Villamor were attended by conspiracy between and among the respondents.”
It also said the death of Villamor was intertwined with the death of Lapid and that the death of the former was used to cover-up the death of the latter.
“Accordingly, the panel of prosecutors respectfully recommends the approval of the two corresponding Information in the above-entitled case,” said the resolution jointly signed by Assistant State Prosecutor Eric Opriasa, Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Charlie Guhit, Deputy State Prosecutor Olivia Laroza-Torrevillas, Senior Assistant City Prosecutor Lincoln Asencion, and Deputy City Prosecutor Christopher Garvida and approved by Prosecutor General Benedicto Malcontento.
As of Tuesday noon, the DOJ has yet to confirm if the charges have been filed in the courts.
However, sources who asked to remain anonymous said the complaints in connection with the killing of Lapid have been filed before the Las Piñas City Regional Trial Court, while the cases related to the killing of Villamor have been lodged before the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court.
In the same resolution, the DOJ junked the quasi-recidivism complaint slapped against the Bilibid inmates-respondents.
Quasi-recidivism occurs when a person commits another crime after having been convicted by final judgment over another offense.
Bantag and Zulueta have repeatedly denied any link or participation in the twin killings.
They have also decried that Remulla has been showing bias against them.
The suspended BuCor chief has likewise challenged Remulla to resign, saying he had lost the moral ascendancy to lead the DOJ after his eldest son was arrested on illegal drug charges.
The Las Piñas RTC, however, has junked the illegal drug raps filed by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency against the younger Remulla.
Bantag is facing various complaints since he left the BuCor, including the alleged torture of personnel and inmates, as well as plunder in connection with the construction of P1 billion worth of prison facilities meant to alleviate prison congestion.
