FILE PHOTO: Suspended Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director Gerald Bantag. INQUIRER / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE
MANILA, Philippines —The Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court has ordered the arrest of former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Gerald Bantag and his deputy, Ricardo Zulueta, for the death of Bilibid inmate Cristito Palana Villamor or Jun Villamor, the alleged middleman in the killing of broadcaster Percival Mabasa or Percy Lapid.
Bantag and Zulueta are facing a case for violation of Article 248 of the Revised Penal Code or murder.
Villamor was identified by confessed gunman Joel Escorial as the one who hired him to kill Lapid.
Escorial was presented to the media on October 18, 2022, where he mentioned that the order to kill Lapid came from someone inside Bilibid.
READ:Percy Lapid slay case: Gunman says ‘someone from Bilibid’ gave kill order
Barely a week later, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said Villamor has died.
An independent autopsy conducted by forensic pathologist Raquel Fortun based on evidence suggested that Villamor may have suffocated from a plastic bag over his head.
READ:‘Homicide’ by suffocation – Fortun on Percy Lapid ‘middleman’
Bantag and Zulueta are both indicted for two counts of murder each–for the death of Villamor and Lapid.
The murder case in connection with the death of Lapid is pending before the Las Piñas Court.
INQUIRER.net has reached out to Bantag’s counsel but has yet to reply as of posting time.