THE Department of Justice yesterday said it has received information that Ricardo Zulueta, Bureau of Corrections deputy security officer and a suspect in the killing of veteran radio commentator Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa, is alive and in hiding, contrary to rumors he has died.
“The information that we have gotten recently leads us to believe that Mr. Zulueta is still alive,” DOJ spokesperson Jose Dominic “Mico” Clavano told CNN Philippines yesterday.
“The general feeling of the law enforcement agencies is that Zulueta is still out and about and of course we would want to get to him in order to complete the chain of communication,” he added.
Zulueta is also accused in the killing of National Bilibid Prison (NBP) inmate Cristito Palana Villamor alias Jun Villamor, who has been tagged as middleman in the case by self-confessed gunman Joel Escorial.
Zulueta is charged before the DOJ along with suspended BuCor chief Gerald Bantag and several other NBP inmates, mostly gang leaders.
Zulueta went missing days before the National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine National Police filed murder complaints last month for the October 3 killing of Lapid.
Zulueta has not reported to the BuCor since, according to Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla.
Zulueta did not even send a representative or a lawyer to represent him in the preliminary investigation of the murder complaints.
Bantag was physically present during Monday’s preliminary hearing at the DOJ. He also subscribed to his counter-affidavit.
Clavano said authorities have not given up on locating Zulueta but he said his absence will not affect the DOJ case pointing to Bantag as mastermind in the Lapid and Villamor killings.
He reiterated the DOJ’s position that the totality of evidence points to the suspended BuCor chief as the mastermind.
“So, even without Zulueta in the picture, we believe that everything that’s been said in the sworn affidavits, which will be reaffirmed in the preliminary investigation, will all still point to the respondent,” Clavano said.
Aside from Zulueta, Clavano said, authorities are also looking for Escorial’s companion in the killing of Lapid, namely brothers Edmon and Israel Dimaculangan and one alias Orly or Orlando.
Meanwhile, Clavano said the National Prosecution Service is more than competent to handle the murder cases against Bantag and his co-accused.
“For this case, for a murder case, we believe this venue, the National Prosecution Service and this panel of prosecutors is the most competent body to hear and resolve this case,” he said.
Bantag on Monday asked the DOJ panel of prosecutors to inhibit from handling the case. He said the Office of the Ombudsman has primary jurisdiction over him considering that he is a Salary Grade 30 official. He also cited the animosity between him and Remulla to warrant the inhibition of the DOJ prosecutors.
Remulla already thumbed down the idea of the DOJ prosecutors recusing from the case.
Clavano also said the nature of the case against Bantag is not under the expertise of the Ombudsman. He said the Ombudsman usually takes on cases that fall within the exclusive jurisdiction of the Sandiganbayan.
“Those are cases related to corruption, graft, bribery, malversation, and violations of the code of ethics of government employees,” he added.
He said other cases such as how Bantag allegedly used his office or position as a tool to commit the crime may be filed with the Ombudsman.
