PERCY Lapid (Percival Mabasa), the hard-hitting radio and social media commentator who was gunned down in Las Piñas last Oct. 3, was the latest among newsmen killed in an ambush. His case, however, has been moving quite fast and his family has reason to believe that they will soon find justice for his death.
On Oct. 18, Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. presented to the media the confessed gunman. He is Joel Escorial, who said he belonged to a team of paid killers assigned by somebody at the New Bilibid Prison (presumably an inmate) to kill the broadcaster.
Escorial, who surrendered on Monday, said he yielded to the police because he fears for his life. He also identified his cohorts, the brothers Israel and Edmon Dimaculangan, and a certain “Orly” who he claimed was driving the motorcycle they used for the operation. He even joined policemen, investigators and journalist Roy Mabasa representing the family, in conducting a walk-through at the site of the ambush on Tuesday night, and provided authorities with more details of the crime.
‘It is an open secret in the underworld that inmates in jails are sometimes freed to commit crimes for a fee outside, hiding under the alibi that they could not have committed the crime because they were inside the prison.’
On the same day that Escorial executed an affidavit, and faced the media, the Mabasa family and the police filed before the Department of Justice (DOJ) a murder complaint against Escorial, Israel Dimaculangan, Edmon Dimaculangan and “Orly.” An inquest was held in the evening and as of this writing, the DOJ was expected to release its resolution on the murder complaint.
We note that tedious and painstaking police work had been employed by the authorities to solve the Percy Lapid murder. Percy’s brother Roy talked with Escorial and said he believed in his confession, although he found some details doubtful, but expressed hope that everything will come to light when the case reaches the courts. The Mabasa family’s only request — which is important to the case — is for the police to give utmost protection to Escorial, and for them to run after his accomplices who are still in hiding.
It is an open secret in the underworld that inmates in jails are sometimes freed to commit crimes for a fee outside, hiding under the alibi that they could not have committed the crime because they were inside the prison. They can also act as “service providers” because their network of criminals extends in and out of prison walls.
This incident should prod Justice Secretary Boying Remulla to look into the problems inside the Bilibid prison, just like during the Duterte administration.
