The Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court has issued a hold departure order against former Bureau of Corrections chief Gerald Bantag and his former deputy Sr. Supt. Ricardo Zulueta. The RTC issued the HDO upon the request of the Department of Justice.
Any person subject of an HDO is not allowed to leave the country. Bantag and Zulueta have been charged with murder case before theMuntinlupa city RTC for their alleged role in the death of Bilibidinmate Jun Villamor, the middleman who hired Joel Escorial to kill broadcaster Percival Mabasa or Percy Lapid. Rey E. Requejo
“The issuance of the HDO is for the court to maintain the effectiveness of its jurisdiction over the person of the accused in this case. In the instant case, accused has not yet been arrested,” the court said.
“The offended party in any criminal proceeding is the People of the Philippines. It is to their best interest that criminal prosecutions run their course and proceed [with] finality without undue delay, with an accused holding himself amenable at all times to court orders and processes,” it added.
Aside from the Muntinlupa court, the Las Piñas Court also ordered the arrest of both Bantag and Zulueta for the death of Lapid.