The Office of the Ombudsman has absolved Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla and Bureau of Corrections Director General Gregorio Catapang of murder and grave misconduct raps filed by ex-BuCor chief Gerald Bantag.
“For lack of probable cause… and for want of substantial evidence [the criminal and administrative cases] are dismissed,” read the Ombudsman’s decision.
In January, Bantag sued Remulla for allegedly being the mastermind behind the killing of radio broadcaster Percy Lapid in October 2022 as well as for the death of Jun Villamor, the inmate who allegedly acted as the middleman in the Lapid murder ploy.
An autopsy on Villamor’s remains showed him having a “history of asphyxia by plastic bag suffocation.”
Bantag included Catapang in his complaint for allowing the transfer of inmates from New Bilibid Prisons in Muntinlupa City to the National Bureau of Investigation.
He said Remulla had a motive to order Lapid’s death after the broadcaster criticized the Justice chief in an episode of his show aired days before he was killed.
The Department of Justice, however, linked Bantag to the deaths of Lapid and Villamor.
Bantag, as well as former BuCor deputy Ricardo Zulueta and others, has been charged for the killings.
Bantag and Zulueta remain at large, and the DOJ has offered a P3-million cash reward to anyone who can provide information on the two suspects.