MANILA, Philippines — The family of slain radioman Percival Mabasa — also known as Percy Lapid — called the bombshell interviews of suspended Bureau of Corrections chief Gerald Bantag as “diversionary tactics.”
“We appeal to the public to not be distracted by what might be diversionary tactics. Let’s focus on the proper investigation of the case.
“We demand that Mr. Bantag abide by the rule of law, follow the judicial process and present his side in the proper forum,” Roy Mabasa, spokesperson of the Mabasa family, said in a statement on Friday.
Bantag has recently appeared in several media outlets. In his interviews, he ranted against Justice Secretary Boying Remulla, whom he dared to resign, and bared that the gunman and the so-called middlemen in Lapid’s murder is connected to a convicted drug lord.
READ: DOJ: Evidence collected in Percy Lapid slaying points to Bantag, not drug syndicates
Mabasa also challenged Bantag to convince his deputy Jail Officer Ricardo Zulueta to face the charges.
READ: Remulla dares Bantag, Zulueta: Face murder complaints like a man
Lapid was killed in an ambush near his neighborhood in Las Piñas City on October 3. His death sparked widespread condemnation and a high-profile investigation.
Confessed gunman Joel Escorial surrendered and was presented to the media on October 18, the same day Palaña was reported dead inside the New Bilibid Prison.
Complaints were filed Monday, November 7, against Bantag and others allegedly involved in the murder of Lapid before the DOJ-Office of the Prosecutor General.
Bantag is being accused of giving the order to kill Lapid and Palaña.