Percy murder masterminds tapped ‘Lords of the Rings’ to do the job

Percy murder masterminds tapped ‘Lords of the Rings’ to do the job | Daily Tribune

Three gangs inside the New Bilibid Prison were allegedly contracted by the "mastermind" and his righthand man to kill broadcaster Percival "Percy Lapid" Mabasa in a plot hatched in an office of the Bureau of Corrections inside the penal facility in Muntinlupa City.

In what he dubbed as the "true story" behind the killing of Mabasa purportedly based on a briefing by Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin "Boying" Remulla, the lawyer of the Mabasa family, Berteni Causing, said they expect the masterminds to be named and charged soon.

In a OnePH interview on Wednesday, Causing said that the Happy Go Lucky, Sigue-Sigue Sputnik and the Batang City Jail gangs mobilized their resources to find a hitman to kill Mabasa and to pay the P550,000 demanded by self-confessed gunman Joel Escorial to carry out the job last 3 October in Las Piñas City.

According to Causing's narrative which he said he based on the case briefing, affidavits and the pieces of evidence gathered by police and the National Bureau of Investigation, the "mastermind" ordered his righthand man to arrange the killing of Mabasa.

Contacted by Daily Tribune to comment on Causing's revelations, Secretary Remulla replied with a terse "dunno" through text messaging. Earlier, the justice chief said the masterminds may be named this week.

Causing intimated that the "mastermind" and his topman were powerful personalities at the NBP and that they can promise "freedom" to gang leaders, whether the freedom to do what they want inside the penal facility or actual freedom through, according to sources, the liberal application of the Good Conduct Time Allowance.

The lawyer said the righthand man passed the kill order to the leader of one of the three gangs before all three gang leaders, whom Causing referred to as "Lords of the Rings," were summoned to the BuCor office at NBP.

Just a job

"The conversation was very brief and what was said was, 'okay there's a job and just ask Lord No. 1 (about it).' Then they went out from the office and Lord No. 1 briefed the others," Causing said in Filipino and English.

"They agreed to do the job, the project to kill Percy Lapid, but they have to scout for a killer or the gunman, and they have to pool their money to give as budget to the gunman," he added. The P550,000 that was to be the final contract price was raised from as far as the Iwahig Penal Colony in Palawan, according to sources.

Among the three gangs, it was the Sigue-Sigue Sputnik that found a hitman through the now-deceased "middleman" and gang member Jun Villamor, the lawyer said. It was Villamor who contracted Escorial through the second "middleman" Christopher Bacoto, a detainee of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, he added.

The BuCor oversees jails for convicts like those at the NBP and the Iwahig Penal Colony, while the BJMP has supervision over detention centers for inmates with cases still being heard in court.

The initial contract was for P200,000, according to Causing, with the gang leaders depositing P50,000 in two tranches on 15 September or a total of P100,000 before depositing another P100,000 on 16 September.

Causing said the gangs raised the P200,000 from the "small businesses" at the NBP like the sale of cellphones and drugs.

This week, a raid at the NBP ordered by newly designated BuCor chief Gregorio Catapang Jr. resulted in the seizure from inmates improvised weapons, drugs and over 7,000 cans of Red Horse beer reportedly priced at P1,000 per can.

Catapang replaced longtime BuCor chief Gerald Bantag whom President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered relieved to allow investigators a free hand in probing the NBP aspects of Mabasa's killing and Villamor's death inside the prison facility.

P350K more

According to Causing, Escorial asked for P350,000 more when he learned the target was a well-known journalist.

"Escorial called and said, 'this can't be because this is a big person you want me to do a job on.' They added P350,000 but [it was to be paid later] as the gangs had no money at the time," the lawyer said.

Causing said the P550,000 did not come from the mastermind or the righthand man, and that the killing of Mabasa, including looking for the hitman and the money for the hit job, was a responsibility put squarely on the shoulders of the "lords."

"But if you will ask why? First, they (gang leaders) were afraid (of the mastermind and righthand man). Second, there's a promise that a way would be found to have them set free," he averred.

Citing reliable sources, Causing said that on the day of Mabasa's killing, several people celebrated at the BuCor office and were "laughing as it was already okay [as] boss has no more problem."

He said that on 18 October, when Escorial was presented to media and he identified Villamor as the "middleman," the righthand man gathered the gang leaders and ordered them to ensure that the killing would not connect to him and to his boss as the mastermind.

Killing Villamor, according to Causing, was undertaken by five Sigue-Sigue gang members.

On Wednesday evening, the NBI took into custody another person of interest in the killing of Mabasa upon his arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Wednesday evening.

The PoI arrived from Puerto Princesa in Palawan wearing a helmet and a bulletproof vest. He was reportedly between 35 to 50 years old and was in handcuffs when escorted by NBI operatives "in full battle gear."

Catapang last Wednesday said in a press conference that there is another person of interest who will be fetched from the Iwahig Penal Colony located in Palawan.

When asked why there is another PoI as far away as Iwahig, Catapang said he just received the order from Secretary Remulla to turn over the said prisoner to the NBI.

Earlier, Remulla said there are now 15 PoIs under the custody of the NBI. He said they are looking at two persons of interest who could be the masterminds.