Ex-BuCor official Zulueta, co-accused in Percy Lapid murder, passes away

Ricardo Zulueta, one of the accused in the killing of broadcaster Percy Lapid, has died, police said Saturday.

A former deputy security officer of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), Zulueta, died on Friday night due to heart failure, the police report said.

Zulueta's brother Ronald rushed him to the Bataan Peninsula Medical Center in Dinalupihan town, where he was declared dead at 11 p.m.

His body was then brought to a funeral home and later transferred to Barangay Mabiga in Hermosa town.

Zulueta was 42 years old.

Verify

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, meanwhile, ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to verify the authenticity of a ''circulating death certificate'' of Zulueta.

"We are still looking into the veracity of these reports and will update the public as soon as we receive word from the NBI,"  Remulla said.

Roy Mabasa, the late broadcaster's brother, said ''an independent autopsy report would assuage the public that we are indeed after the truth.''

''We would like the PNP (Philippine National Police) to ascertain the real cause of his death since he was originally tagged as one of the masterminds in the killing of @lapidfire,'' Mabasa said on X.

Last year, Zulueta was charged in court, along with former BuCor chief Gerald Bantag, with two counts of murder over the killing of Lapid and alleged middleman Jun Villamor.

The Department of Justice also indicted self-confessed gunman Joel Escorial, Israel Dimaculangan, Edmon Dimaculangan, and a certain Orlando for murder as principals by direct participation.

Also indicted were several persons deprived of liberty, including Denver Mayores, Alvin Labra, and Aldrin Galicia, who allegedly orchestrated the killing of Lapid through his gang members and his gang members’ contacts outside the New Bilibid Prison.

Lapid was shot dead in Las Piñas City on October 3, 2022, while Villamor died at the NBP on October 18.

An autopsy by forensic pathologist Dr. Raquel Fortun showed the remains of Villamor to have a “history of asphyxia by plastic bag suffocation.”

In March 2023, the DOJ said "sufficient circumstantial evidence has been presented to establish that he [Bantag] masterminded the assassination" of Lapid, whose real name is Percival Mabasa.

"Further, the motive of the murder was also sufficiently described—the two videos uploaded by Percival about respondent Bantag and showing the latter’s house with a number of vehicles parked in front," the DOJ said.

"The prosecution notes that the timing of the uploaded videos and the commencement of the planning of Percival’s assassination are not coincidental," it added.

"Moreover, it was respondent Zulueta who provided the amount of P350,000 as additional payment to the hitman/killer and told respondent Labra that respondent Bantag is thanking them for the assassination.'' — Sherylin Untalan/VBL, GMA Integrated News