Bantag dares Remulla to quit as justice secretary

Breaking his long silence, suspended Bureau of Corrections chief Gerald Bantag yesterday called on Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla to quit for allegedly bungling the probe on the ambush-slay of broadcaster Percy Lapid.

"Step down, Mr. Secretary, wala na kayong credibility (you have no credibility)," Bantag said on SMNI News, accusing Remulla of "conditioning" the mind of the public to pin him to Lapid's killing.

Bantag's statement was the first after murder complaints were filed against him and several others for the murder of Lapid and an alleged middleman in the slay plot, New Bilibid Prison inmate Cristito Villamor Palaña.

He said the justice chief is using Lapid's killing to cover the drug-related issue hounding his son, Juanito Remulla III, who was arrested in connection with the alleged importation of P1.3 million worth of kush or high-grade marijuana.

"As Secretary of Justice, kapag na-involve 'yung anak mo, dapat step down ka (when your son gets involved in an illegal activity, then you must step down)," he said.

The fomer BuCor head also accused Remulla of having political plans in 2025 and using the DoJ for exposure.

"You don›t need money, you just want to elevate your name," Bantag said.

Asked to comment on the Bantag dare, Remulla said he fully understands the predicament of Bantag, pointing out that nobody wanted the evidence to point to him.

In a statement read by DoJ spokesperson Atty. Mico Clavano, Remulla said "Bantag's words and actions, no matter how personal and inappropriate, come from a misguided sense of betrayal."

"Let us not muddle the issue, let us not clutch at straws." Said Remulla,who was set to fly to Geneva, Switzerland, to attend the Universal Periodic Review of the United Nations Human Rights Commission.

Not in hiding

As this developed, Bantag's counsel, Atty. Rocky Thomas Balisong, pointed out contrary to allegations, his client is not hiding and will appear in public in due time.

In an ambush interview at the DoJ office in Manila, Balisong said Bantag is under no obligation to show himself to the public.

He said the filing of the case is just an accusation which is not synonymous with being guilty thus he told Bantag that he is not under obligation to show himself to the public since there is no warrant of arrest yet and he is not in hiding as a matter of fact.

Last Monday, the National Bureau of Investigation and Philippine National Police filed double murder complaints against Bantag, BuCor Senior Superintendent Ricardo Zulueta, and several others in connection with the killing of Lapid and an alleged middleman in the slay plot, New Bilibid Prison inmate Cristito Villamor Palaña.

Remulla said the method used in the investigation conduced jontly between the PNP and NBI was the method of deduction, meaning to say, at the start, there was a long list of persons considered persons-of-interest.

He bared there were many politicians, government officials and big names on the said list.

These were the persons targeted and mentioned in the show of Lapid who may have had a motive to kill him.

Hold departure order

However, from all the evidence collected, the sworn statements of the PDLs, ballistics analysis, CCTV footage, the money trail, 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, according to the justice chief."

"Simply said, anybody in the position of the NBI and the PNP would file this case given the totality of circumstances they gathered from the investigation."

They had the privilege of observing body language, asking probing questions, receiving intelligence reports and finally piecing everything together," the statement said.

Remulla said earlier that they will be filing a hold departure order against Bantag and Zulueta, whom they have yet to locate.

The lawyer of the accused said his client is dismayed and wants to clear his name thru legal means.

The presence of Balisong at the DoJ office is to receive the subpoena that will be issued for his client.

The subpoena though has yet to be dispatched, according to Balisong citing a certain person-in-charge in the establishment.

Balisong said he was authorized by Bantag through a special power of attorney because it was reported in the media that the subpoena was brought to his last known address and that no one was receiving it.

However, the person in-charge at the DoJ said the subpoena has yet to be dispatched, thus it will be served to his client.

Bantag's relatives and supporters gathered in Baguio City earlier this week and called for a clean and fair investigation into the killing of Lapid.

Lapid was shot dead in Las Piñas City on 3 October and probers said his tirades in his radio program against Bantag is a possible motive for the slaying.

Meanwhile, the person who deposited money to the account of self confessed gunman Escorial has also given a sworn statement to the NBI.

Based on the affidavit of "Kylie," Labra called him on 4 October 2022 around 10 a.m. and asked that P350,000 be deposited in a bank account.

The said depositor Kylie then deposited P300,000 to Escorial's bank account.

The said deposit matched with the passbook of Escorial and the money was deposited on the same date.

On 7 October, Alvin Labra then called Kylie at 1 p.m. to deposit another P50,000 to Escorial's bank account. It also matched in the electronic transaction of Escorial.

Counter-affdavit

In another development, the so-called second middleman in the slaying of broadcaster Percy Lapid submitted his counter-affidavit before the DOJ to deny his participation in the crime.

Christopher Bacoto was accompanied by his lawyer Atty. Salvador Quimpo to submit his counter-affidavit during the preliminary investigation of the murder complaints in connection with the killing of Lapid and alleged first middleman Cristito Villamor.

Quimpo said the schedule yesterday morning was for the submission of their counter-affidavits because Joel Escorial claimed that it was Bacoto who talked to him, and even made the payment.