A Las Piñas City regional trial court on Friday issued another warrant of arrest against former Bureau of Corrections chief Gerald Bantag and four others over the killing of broadcast journalist Percy Lapid last October.
The Las Piñas RTC Branch 254 also ordered the arrest of former BuCordeputy officer Ricardo Zulueta, Israel Dimaculangan, Edmon Dimaculangan, and a certain Orlando.
The court’s Presiding Judge Harold Huliganga issued the warrant against the accused, who had been charged with murder, a non-bailable offense.
The issuance came a day after the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 206 issued its own warrant against Bantag and Zulueta for the killing of Villamor.
A manhunt operation has been launched against Bantag and Zulueta on the heels of the Muntinlupa RTC issuance, the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group said Friday.
In a statement, CIDG chief Police Brig. Gen. Romeo Caramat Jr. on Thursday ordered tracker teams to conduct the operation and arrest Bantag and Zulueta.
“The goal for the creation of tracker teams is to speed up and have a more planned search of the accused so the manhunt operation will cover any places in the Philippines from Metro Manila to Mindanao,” Caramat said.
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla had advised Bantag to surrender and “face the music” after the Muntinlupa City RTC issued the warrant.
Amid the issuance of the arrest warrants, Sen. Risa Hontiveros called on the Department of Justice and the National Bureau of Investigation to continue their investigation beyond Bantag and Zulueta.
She said the DOJ and NBI should widen their probe to the so-called “Ocho Boys” and all individuals who are allegedly members of the mafia that facilitated Percy Lapid’s murder and other crimes inside the New Bilibid Prison.
“How far and deep does this network of corruption go?” asked Hontiveros.
Bantag and Zulueta had been linked to the killing of Lapid and alleged middleman Jun Villamor as alleged masterminds.
The assassination of Lapid, the second journalist killed in the country under the Marcos administration and the 197th since 1986, sparked an outcry among groups, lawmakers, and even international bodies which renewed the call to end media violence and killings.
Meanwhile, confessed gunman Joel Escorial identified the Dimaculangan brothers and Orlando as his accomplices.
Bantag and Zulueta were indicted by the Department of Justice prosecutors for two counts of murder in March.
Lapid was shot dead in Las Piñas City on October 3, 2022, while Villamor died at the New Bilibid Prison on October 18.
An autopsy by forensic pathologist Dr. Raquel Fortun showed the remains of Villamor to have a “history of asphyxia by plastic bag suffocation.”
Aside from the manhunt operation, Caramat also said that the tracker teams will also work on the case build-up and operational research to determine the whereabouts of Bantag and Zulueta.
On March 14, the Department of Justice panel of prosecutors indicted Bantag and Zulueta for two counts of murder over the killing of Lapid and Villamor.
An autopsy by forensic pathologist Dr. Raquel Fortun showed the remains of Villamor to have a “history of asphyxia by plastic bag suffocation.”
Bantag earlier denied the allegations against him, saying they were fabricated.
Hontiveros said everyone involved should be held accountable, adding: “No sacred cows should be protected, and no stone should be left unturned.”
At the same time, she urged Bantag, being a former law enforcer himself, to cooperate with the authorities and do nothing to frustrate the administration of justice.
The “swift action of the Lapid family to record the anonymous caller attempting to extort from them was critical in helping us expose the involvement of Gen. Bantag,” noted the senator.
She hopes the NBI and PNP cybercrime units continue tracing the caller, for the safety of the Lapid family.
Hontiveros is also confident this latest development will help bring some form of relief to the family of Lapid and his supporters.
In the process, she said, it will help dissuade those aiming to harm or kill journalists speaking truth to power.