The Department of Justice (DOJ) is confident it will also succeed in arresting former Bureau of Corrections chief turned fugitive Gerald Bantag as law enforcement authorities are relentless in tracking down his location.
“Our manhunt continues. We have a general idea already of his (Bantag’s) whereabouts, so it’s just a matter of time,” Justice Assistant Secretary Jose Dominic Clavano IV said in a press briefing held in Malacañang on Thursday.
“Again, with these things, we just have to stay patient. These things don’t happen overnight. The wheels of justice, they grind slowly, but they grind very finely. So, we just have to stay patient,” he stated.
Bantag was charged for masterminding the killing of broadcast journalist Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa. Mabasa was killed in October 2022.
DOJ recently managed to locate and serve a warrant of case to another high-profile fugitive—former Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo Teves, Jr. Clavano said they are just awaiting the decision of the courts for the extradition of Teves to the Philippines.
“There’s an international component to the Teves case. He is now arrested and under the custody of the police in Timor Leste. However, we are awaiting the decision of the courts there as we have submitted already the request for extradition,” Clavano told reporters.
In both cases, the DOJ appealed for patience as it is paying a great deal of attention to all the necessary details, ensuring the right processes are followed and the respondents are given due process.
Clavano noted that the DOJ is already at the end of the process in the Teves case. The former legislator was arrested last month at the Top Golf Driving Range and Bar in Dili, East Timor. He is accused of killing of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo and nine others.