A court in Muntinlupa City has issued an arrest warrant for the former head of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), Gerald Bantag, as well as his deputy security officer, Ricardo Zulueta, in connection with the killing of Cristito “Jun Villamor” Palaa, who was believed to be a middleman in the murder of broadcaster Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa.
No bail was requested for the two men, who were also prosecuted with Mabasa’s murder at a court in Las Pias City last month, according to the warrant issued on April 12 by the Presiding Judge of the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 206, Gener Gito. The warrant was issued by the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 206. Bantag and Zulueta do not currently have an arrest warrant issued by the court in Las Pinas.
On October 3, 2022, a motorcycle-riding gunman killed Mabasa in Las Pias City for being an outspoken critic of Bantag on his online radio show.
In a press conference the following day, confessed gunman Joel Escorial said that New Bilibid Prison (NBP) inmate Palaa had hired him to kill Mabasa for P550,000. Escorial turned himself into authorities on October 17, 2022
Palaa’s body was discovered at NBP only a few hours after the news presentation at the Philippine National Police headquarters. His sister, Marisa, claims he sent her a text message listing three gang bosses from prison who could be implicated in his death.
The National Bureau of Investigation’s medical examiners concluded that there were “no apparent external injuries” on Palaa, indicating that he likely died of natural causes.
Another autopsy, conducted by forensic pathologist Dr. Raquel Fortun, revealed that Palaa had been choked to death by having a plastic bag placed over his head.
Welcome Development
Bantag and Zulueta are suspected in the 2016 explosion that killed ten inmates at the Paranaque City Jail.
The suspended BuCor chief is being investigated for multiple crimes, including torturing convicts and staff members and engaging in unauthorized digging on the NBP reservation.
The arrest warrant for Bantag was served on Thursday afternoon at Caloocan City by officers from the Northern Police District, but Bantag was not home.
When authorities arrived at Zulueta’s home in Pandi, Bulacan province, they found no sign of him there.
On Thursday, Jesus Crispin Remulla, secretary of justice, told reporters that Bantag must turn himself in immediately.
Come open and face the consequences if you genuinely believe you are innocent. In any case, the courts can tell if the truth is there,” Remulla remarked on the margins of the rollout of the Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability for lawyers.
He called the arrest warrant “a welcome development” because it was part of the legal process.
Now it’s up to the police and prosecutors to make an arrest and bring charges. Remulla hoped, “We can arrest him, or he will surrender.”
He assured them the warrant would be delivered “in due time.”