Communications to Lapid slay linking Bantag
By Nidz Godino
“Nag-chat na kami ni Roy Mabasa…may pinag-usapan na kami…ibibigay ko sa kanya lahat ng detalye tungkol sa pagkamatay ni Percy Lapid at sa buhay niya, nanganganib din ang buhay niya….isusunod siya at kapatid niya papatayin din siya,” Senator Risa Hontiveros disclosed audio recordings and screenshots of communications made by anonymous people allegedly threatening family of slain journalist Percy Lapid. At a press conference, Hontiveros said Lapid’s family provided her with details of threats that they had received, including offers to provide information on suspended Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Gerald Bantag’s alleged involvement in the case. The senator narrated that one of Lapid’s children was told by a caller, who refused to identify himself, to inform Lapid’s brother, Roy, and Lapid’s son, Mark, that their lives were also at risk.
The caller prodded Lapid’s daughter to tell Roy Mabasa to answer their Facebook messages or contact them through number that he used to call her.
“Involved si General Bantag sa pagkamatay nitong si Lapid. Kasali si General Bantag,” the caller went on.
The anonymous caller also told Lapid’s daughter that they earlier warned Percy that he might be killed, but the latter did not believe him, and now Roy is also refusing to heed their warning.
“Noong una tinatawagan ko si Percy na mag-iingat ka dahil papatayin ka na…ayaw niyang maniwala…ngayon si Roy naman…ayaw maniwala ni Roy sa akin,” the caller said.
“Maliit na halaga lang hinhingi ko kay Roy para lang isend ko sa kanya ang ‘Ocho Boys’ ni General Bantag,” the caller said.
After tagging Bantag, the caller also mentioned ranking officer whom he called “major” and one artist, whom he said are currently detained inside Maximum Security Compound of the New Bilibid Prison.
In the screenshots of text messages sent to Mark Mabasa, an anonymous number, who claimed that he is still inside prison, said he has already offered information to Roy and he is willing to send voice recording of Bantag, which may help them in solving Lapid’s case.
When Mark did not respond to the text messages, Hontiveros said anonymous sender threatened Lapid’s brother and son.
Hontiveros would forward these pieces of information to authorities and called on cybercrime unit of the Philippine National Police (PNP) to trace source and location of these messages.
“I believe this may shed light on the murder of Percy Lapid, and at the minimum, those persons should be prosecuted for threatening and extorting money from the family,” the senator said.
Bantag said drug lords, who are allegedly conspiring against him, might be floating the allegations that he may become involved in Lapid’s case.
“‘Yan po ang nakikita ko dahil nga makapangyarihan itong mga drug lords at sindikato…ano po ba ang sinasabi ng ating dating presidente noon…narco-politics. ..malapit na tayong maging narco-politics,” he said when asked if he was concerned that he may become involved in the Lapid case.
Bantag was preventively suspended following death of Jun Villamor, an inmate at the NBP who has been tagged as the middleman in the killing of Lapid.
The suspended BuCor chief was also among the 160 “persons of interest” in the killing of Lapid as he was one of the personalities criticized by the late broadcaster in his program, the PNP said.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is not convinced inmate tagged as middleman in the killing of broadcaster Percy Lapid died of natural causes.
“The toxicology report came back and mukha talagang walang lason o walang gamot na ibinigay doon sa namatay… I’m still not satisfied that it was natural causes,” Marcos told reporters in an ambush interview. “There are ways to kill a person that do not show up in the medico legal, so tuloy-tuloy pa ang imbestigasyon,” he added.
The President has been monitoring developments in the investigation into Lapid’s killing, adding that he has no particular orders regarding the case as police officers know what to do.
“Well, I have to… I have been monitoring — I talked to DOJ chief Remulla and DILG chief Abalos, three, four, five times a day, and each time we talk about this,” President Marcos said.
“We do not have any particular directives….police know what to do… I’ll just get in the way. Imbestigahan ninyo nang mabuti…alamin natin nang mabuti kung sinong behind this…hanggang ngayon…hindi pa tayo nakasisiguro,” he added.
President Marcos further stressed need to unmask mastermind of the crime and to identify reason behind Lapid’s killing.
“But more importantly, is to really trace saan nanggaling ito…who gave the order…sino nagbigay doon sa preso na orderin ang shooter na gawin ito at bakit …that is what we are working on now,” he said.
Authorities earlier identified middleman as one Jun Villamor, an inmate at the New Bilibid Prison.
BuCor earlier said initial findings on Villamor’s death show “no signs of physical external injuries which probably indicates natural cause of death or no signs of foul play.”
Noted forensic pathologist Dr. Raquel Fortun is set to perform second and independent autopsy on Villamor’s body.
Lapid, whose real name is Percival Mabasa, was shot dead while on his way home in Las Piñas City on October 3.
The existence of Jun Villamor,also reported as Cristito Villamor Palaña was announced on October 20, the same day he was announced dead.
It was also same day that Joel Escorial, the self-confessed gunman in the killing, was presented to media following his surrender to the police.
It was Escorial who bared that he and his cohorts worked with middleman inside NBP in killing Lapid.
ISKUP! 