Roy Mabasa, the victim’s brother, appeared before the DOJ and subscribed to the complaint-affidavit against Escorial and the three others on October 19, 2022. (Photo by Tetch Torres-Tupas)
MANILA, Philippines — The other alleged middleman who may lead to the mastermind of the fatal ambush of radioman-vlogger Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa is “uncooperative.”
Lapid’s brother Roy Mabasa said this on Friday as he lamented the death of the other supposed middleman, Cristano Palana Villamor, at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) hospital, just a few hours after confessed gunman Joel Escorial was presented to the public in a news conference on Tuesday.
READ: DOJ chief Remulla: ‘Middleman in prison’ in Percy Lapid slay already dead
“Itong pangalawa ay fully secured na, according to the police, nasa Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) siya. Ang kalungkutan lang dito, hindi nakikipag-cooperate ito,” Mabasa said over ABS-CBN News’ Headstart.
(This second middleman is fully secured, according to the police, in the BJMP. What’s sad about this is he isn’t cooperative.)
Mabasa made it clear that he has already known about two alleged middlemen involved in his brother’s slay case as it was mentioned in Escorial’s extrajudicial confession.
“Doon niya binanggit iyong mga pangalan na involved dito sa ginawa nilang pagpatay dito sa aking kapatid. Nakita ko iyong pangalan nang namatay na iyan at nakita ko rin iyong isa na nasa BJMP,” he added.
(That’s where he named those involved in the killing of my brother. I saw their names, the one who died and the other one in BJMP.)
READ: Police sets record straight: There are 2 middlemen in Percy Lapid’s slay
Mabasa then expressed distraught over, what he called, a big setback in the development of the case.
“This is a big blow in the case because the one who died was the one that gave the order to kill Percy Lapid,” he said in Filipino.
Mabasa, meanwhile, pointed out that the alleged middleman currently secured by the police in a BJMP facility apparently connected the other suspects involved in Lapid’s brutal murder, including Israel and Edmon Dimaculangan whom Escorial claims were his accomplices.
“I do not know how we can start again, picking up the pieces in this case but we will not falter. We will still pursue justice for my brother,” Mabasa maintained, speaking in a mix of English and Filipino.
READ: Foul play not ruled out in death of alleged middleman in Percy Lapid slay
Last October 3, Lapid – the fierce radioman behind DWBL 1242’s “Lapid Fire” – was ambushed and killed near the gate of a Las Piñas City village.