The mastermind and his righthand man allegedly contracted three gangs in the New Bilibid Prison to kill broadcaster Percival "Percy Lapid" Mabasa, according to the Mabasa family's lawyer, Berteni Causing.

The plot was hatched in an office of the Bureau of Corrections inside the NBP in Muntinlupa City, Causing said in an interview on OnePH last 2 November.

Causing said that, based on the briefing by Justice Sec. Boying Remulla and from affidavits and pieces of evidence gathered by police and the National Bureau of Investigation, the Happy Go Lucky, Sigue-Sigue Sputnik and Batang City Jail gangs mobilized their resources to find a hitman to kill Lapid and to pay the P550,000 demanded by confessed gunman Joel Escorial to carry out the job last 3 October in Las Piñas City.

Contacted by Daily Tribune to comment on Causing's comments, Remulla replied with a terse "dunno" via text message.

Remulla is expected to reveal the identity of the masterminds shortly and to file charges against them.