Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla on Friday called on former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director General Gerald Bantag to surrender and face the murder charges filed against him in courts.
“He (Bantag) will have a fair trial, just surrender,” Remulla said, in an interview with ANC.
Bantag has been charged with murder before the Regional Trial Courts (RTC) in Las Piñas City and Muntinlupa City for the deaths of radio commentator Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa and Cristito Villamor Palana, a person deprived of liberty (PDLs) who was tagged as a “middleman’ in the killing of the broadcaster.
Bantag went into hiding and has remained at large, defying arrest warrants issued by the two trial courts.
Remulla revealed that he has received reports that Bantag has been spotted in Luzon. “But there were also reports that he went down to Manila for a while. I think he is back in the north now,” he said.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) earlier offered P2-million reward to anyone who could provide information leading to Bantag’s arrest.
Remulla said however, he prefers the surrender of Bantag.
“I hope he changes his mind about being a fugitive from justice because it will not do him any good and it is not doing our society any good. We do not want to romanticize people who want to defy the law. We want people to follow the rule of law because it is the hallmark of a stable society,” the DOJ chief said.
“We will not be inventing out of the blue. We will present the evidence that we have, the legal theory that we have developed and then, if the justice system finds him innocent, then he can have his liberty. But if he is found guilty then he has to suffer for it. It’s just that he has to undergo through the process of trial,” Remulla added.