Murder complaints in Percy Lapid case consolidated; 3-member panel formed

The murder complaints in the case of slain broadcaster Percy Lapid have been consolidated, Prosecutor General Benedicto Malcontento said Thursday.

“Yes,” Malcontento said in a message to reporters when was asked to confirm if all the murder complaints in the killings of Lapid and alleged middleman Jun Villamor have been consolidated.

Two murder complaints have been filed against suspended Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Gerald Bantag, BuCor official Ricardo Zulueta, and numerous persons deprived of liberty.

A murder complaint was also filed against self-confessed gunman Joel Escorial.

Malcontento also confirmed that a three-member panel was formed.

He said the members include Deputy State Prosecutor Olivia Torrevillas and Senior Assistant state prosecutors Josie Christina Dugay and Charlie Guhit.

Lapid was shot dead in Las Piñas City on October 3 while Villamor died at the New Bilibid Prison. An autopsy by forensic pathologist Dr. Raquel Fortin showed the remains of Villamor to have a “history of asphyxia by plastic bag suffocation.”

The National Bureau of Investigation had said both Bantag and Zulueta are still in the country and that they are seeking to file a hold departure order against them. 

Meanwhile, when asked for benefits in consolidating the complaints, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said it would make things easier for the prosecution.

“Well, logistically, para sa prosecutors, it’s easier for us to do it. At saka, they’re really related, eh. They have to be taken together with each other, especially Villamor. Villamor would not have died if Percy Lapid did not perish,” he said.

Remulla also said it is for the courts to decide whether Bantag will be placed under the Witness Protection Program.

“That’s too early for me to decide. That’s for the courts to decide later on. Kasi discharging a witness is not as easy as you think. There are many legal requirements for this to be done,” he said.

On Wednesday, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said investigation in the crime should continue.

“Again, as I said, the investigation is not yet over so we cannot we know everything about the case yet,” Marcos responded when asked if someone more powerful than suspended Bantag was behind Lapid’s death

“I don’t want to make these declarations until we know for a fact... So let the investigation continue,” Marcos said. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News