Percy Lapid’s brother wants crime scene walkthrough with confessed hitman

FILE PHOTO: Lisa Mabasa, a widow of slain radio broadcaster Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa, weeps at the family residence a day after her husband was gunned down in Las Piñas City on October 3, 2022. The family demands justice, saying the attack was not only against him but also against the country and the truth. INQUIRER/RICHARD A. REYES

MANILA, Philippines — The brother of slain broadcaster Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa is asking for a crime scene walkthrough with confessed gunman Joel Escorial.

In a phone interview with INQUIRER.net, veteran journalist Roy Mabasa said he wants to meet the suspect, who also tagged three other people – brothers Edmon and Israel Dimaculangan, and a certain “Orlando” or “Orly”– to the crime.

READ: Percy Lapid slay case: Gunman says ‘someone from Bilibid’ gave kill order

“Iyon ang request ko sana that I’ll be given the chance to confront the suspect. And to, siguro (maybe), have him undergo the walkthrough sa (at) scene of the crime. Gusto ko ma-test iyong kanyang (I want to test his) credibility para lang maalis ang agam-agam ng tao (so people won’t have any qualms),” he said.

He said he was told about Escorial’s surrender days ago but would still like to corroborate the suspect’s account of the incident.

“I would like to confront the suspect, also because I want him to narrate to us kung paano nila ginawa iyong karumal-dumal na krimen (how they committed that heinous crime). That’s the only way to convince not just me but the whole world who is watching over this development in the case,” he added.

While Mabasa is thankful for the police officers stationed outside his brother’s house to protect their family, he stressed the need to step up their security since the mastermind and other suspects in the killing of his brother are still at large.

“Since all these suspects — the mastermind, the middle man na sinasabi nila, kung totoo man — ay still on the loose, mas lalong malaking banta ito sa seguridad ng buong pamilya. Hindi lang iyong mga anak at asawa [ni Percy], pati ako kasi ako naman iyong humaharap sa kasong ito. Malaking banta sa amin iyan hanggang nasa labas iyang mga iyan,” he said.

(All these suspects are still on the loose, including the mastermind and alleged middleman, so security for the whole family is at risk. It is not just a threat to Percy’s children and wife, but even me since I must face this. So long as they’re roaming freely, we’re at risk.)

Last October 3, Lapid, a staunch critic of the administrations of former President Rodrigo Duterte and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., was killed in an ambush near the entrance to a Las Piñas City village where he lived.

“Lapid Fire” was his catchphrase on DWBL 1242, and his hard-hitting commentary on government policy earned him a loyal following.

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