BUREAU of Corrections (BuCor) director general, Gerald Bantag, was ordered relieved from his post for the next 90 days by President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. last week as investigation into the murder of radio blocktimer, Percival ‘Percy Lapid’ Mabasa, last October 3, 2022, gets deeper.
Bantag, who has been replaced by former Armed Forces chief of staff, Gen. Gregorio Catapang Jr. last October 21, 2022, is now among the more than “160” personalities tagged by the Philippine National Police (PNP) as ‘person of interest’ (POI) in the death of Lapid.
His inclusion as POI was confirmed by his superior, Department of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla.
The suspicion on Bantag’ possible involvement centered on the questionable death last October 18, 2022, of Crestituto Villamor Palaña, 42 (Jun Villamor in other reports; his identity was confirmed by his father, Crestito, who executed a sworn statement before the police in Leyte– editor), on the same day that self-confessed gunman, Joel Salve Escorial, was presented to the media by Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) secretary, Benhur Abalos.
In his statement, Escorial claimed the order to “kill” Mabasa came from an inmate at the “bilibid,” referring to the National Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa (see also Pinoy Exposé, October 20, 2022).
Bantag was among those who has been maligned and heavily criticized by Mabasa on at least three occasions in his radio program, the last being on September 5, 2022.
The PNP, prior to the press conference by Abalos, had tried to confirm the identity of Palaña as a prisoner in the name of Crisanto Villamor Jr., from the BuCor but got the reply there was no inmate by that name.
Remulla, in a press conference also last October 21, said the deceased’s name on file was Jun Globa Villamor.
“It appears that the name in the records of Bilibid is this: Jun Villamor y Globa. Kasi ito ‘yung mga record niya. Ito yung case management record niya and there’s no name of Crisanto Villamor but he is the person,” Remulla said.
The death of Villamor was believed suspicious that Remulla granted a request for a second autopsy by Mabasa’s family even as the autopsy conducted by the NBI claimed he died from a “hemorrhage of the heart” and that there was no indication of foul play.
The second autopsy was completed last October 26, 2022, but the DOJ is yet to officially release the result as of press time.
The Mabasa family had already filed murder charges against Escorial before the DOJ and announced they would also be suing Bantag for administrative lapses as Escorial had managed to contact and talk to Palaña over the phone despite the BuCor supposedly being strict in not allowing prisoners access to any telecommunication device.