Bantag to Marcos: Totoo ba ang pini-feed sa yo?

Suspended Bureau of Corrections chief Gerald Bantag said he understood the statements President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. made as regards his alleged involvement in the killing of broadcaster Percy Lapid.

However, he questioned the information being provided by authorities to the president.

"Wala tayong magagawa sa reaksyon ni presidente, basing that kasi sa mga report ni secretary. Pero ang tanong, totoo ba ang pini-feed sa'yo?" he said in a report by Marisol Abdurahman on "24 Oras" on Friday.

(We can't do anything with the President's reaction because that is based on the report of the secretary. But the question is, are they giving you the truth?)

Marcos on his way to Phnom Penh indicated to reporters that it bothered him that the chief of the BuCor had been linked to the killing.

“Of course, that’s terrible," Marcos said.

“He established his own fiefdom there in the prison. ‘Yung galaw niya is with no fear of being punished," Marcos said.

(He moved with no fear of being punished.)

After complaints for murder were filed in connection with the Lapid slay, Marcos said, "I think we've gotten most of those who are involved."

Still, he said the investigation should continue.

“But we’ll just keep going. Until we’re satisfied. Right now, because we haven’t spoken to all of the named suspects, middlemen, masterminds, the investigation hasn’t been closed,” Marcos said.

The NBI and the PNP have filed murder complaints on Monday against Bantag, BuCor official Ricardo Zulueta, and several others for the killing of Lapid and alleged middleman Jun Villamor (Cristito Villamor Palaña), an inmate at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP).

Bantag said Remulla was a liar and dared the secretary of justice to step down.

He said Remulla made up the story that the motive behind Lapid's killing was the latter's commentary on his house at an exclusive subdivision in Laguna and his cars.

Bantag said the person behind the Lapid killing was a German Agojo, whom Remulla alleged had taken from a detention facility.

The confessed gunman Joel Escorial and slain middleman Cristito Villamor Palana were allegedly associates of Agojo.

GMA Integrated News continues to try to get Remulla's comment on Bantag's remarks.

The DOJ on Friday said that Bantag’s actions and allegations come from a “misguided sense of betrayal” and asked him not to “clutch at straws.”

“The Department of Justice understands the predicament of DG Bantag. His words and actions, no matter how personal and inappropriate, come from a misguided sense of betrayal,” Justice Department Spokesperson Mico Clavano said, reading the official statement of the agency.

“There’s only one issue at hand; that is the related murders of Percy Lapid and Jun Villamor. Let us not muddle the issue, let us not clutch at straws.”

Clavano added that the joint investigation of the NBI and the PNP used the “method of deduction” from a long list of politicians, government officials, and big names.

There were initially 160 persons of interest identified by the PNP in the Lapid case.

“However, from all the evidence collected so far, the sworn statements of the PDLs, ballistic analysis, CCTV footage, and all those other physical evidence gathered to boost the credibility of the statements, they all pointed to the respondents as perpetrators of the murder,” he said.

Journalist Roy Mabasa, Lapid's brother demanded that Bantag follow the rule of law.

"We appeal to the public to not be distracted by what might be diversionary tactics. Let’s focus on the proper investigation of the case," Mabasa said on Facebook after Bantag faced the media.

"We demand that Mr. Bantag abide by the rule of law, follow the judicial process and present his side in the proper forum. We also challenge him to help convince his deputy, Jail Officer Zulueta, to come out of hiding and face the charges," he added. 

"As I’ve said before, we appreciate the hard work of the DOJ, DILG, NBI & PNP as well as the CHR and we will forever be indebted to the listeners of Ka Percy who has not left our side in our quest for justice," Mabasa said.  —LDF/NB, GMA News