Gunman says Bantag hurt by Percy Lapid commentary on house, vehicle

Suspended Bureau of Corrections chief Gerald Bantag got hurt by Percy Lapid's radio commentary on his house and vehicle and ordered the radio broadcaster's killing, the confessed gunman told GMA Integrated News.

According to John Consulta's exclusive report on "24 Oras", this was relayed to Joel Escorial by Cristito Villamor Palaña, the New Bilibid Prison inmate who allegedly acted as the middleman to facilitate the slay plot.

"'Pag namatay na daw siya doon ko lang daw ilabas 'yun. Na si Bantag nga daw ang nag-utos na patayin si Percy," Escorial said of Villamor's disclosures.

"Tinira kasi sa radyo yung ano daw yung bahay at sasakyan ni Bantag. Nasaktan daw po si Bantag kaya nag-utos daw na ipapatay si Percy ni Bantag," he added.

"Parang namamaalam na siya sa akin. Kasi pag nalaman na sa loob nanggaling yung trabaho, papatayin daw talaga siya," Escorial said.

GMA Integrated News is still trying to get a comment from Bantag.

Complaints for murder have been filed against Bantag and several others including his security officer SJO2 Ricardo Zulueta for Lapid's killing.

Lapid was killed in early October near his home where he was set to go on the air.

Escorial surrendered to the authorities and pointed to Villamor as the person who acted as a middleman to facilitate the plot to kill the broadcaster.

He also identified Christopher Bacoto, a detainee at a Bureau of Jail Management and Penology jail, as another middleman.

According to sworn statements by fellow inmates, Villamor was killed inside the NBP after he was identified as the middleman in slay plot.

Escorial said he didn't identify Bantag as the person who ordered the hit on Lapid. 

He said Villamor told him that the middleman would be killed if Bantag was identified.

Escorial executed another statement which identified a certain Bantag as the person who ordered the killing after Villamor died. 

"Kung hindi ako sumuko, siguro ako na rin ang patay ngayon," Escorial said.

GMA News went to Bantag's registered address but no one answered its call.

Roel Esmaña, the chairman of Barangay 20 in Caloocan City, confirmed that Bantag had long been a resident in the community.

"Siguro more or less nasa 15," Esmañas said as regards the number of years Bantag had lived in the barangay.

GMA News last spoke with Bantag on Oct. 25 when he described as shallow the reason why he was being linked to Lapid's killing.

He said he didn't know the radio broadcaster.

Accompanied by barangay authorities, GMA News also went to the residence of Supt. Ricardo Zulueta, Bantag's security officer who's also the subject of a complaint in connection with Lapid slay.

His neighbors said it had been quite some time since he last went home to the said address.

"Matagal nang hindi umuuwi diyan," Barangay Chairman Gerardo Cruz said.

"Parang taon na nga rin," he added. -NB, GMA Integrated news