The Philippine National Police (PNP) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Monday filed murder complaints against suspended Bureau of Correction (BuCor) head Gerald Bantag, BuCor officials and others allegedly involved in the killing of broadcaster Percy Lapid.

At a press conference, Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla said, “A case has been filed with our prosecutors. From there, we will proceed with the case proper and hopefully, this issue will be laid to rest as it should be when a crime is committed against a citizen of the Republic of the Philippines.”

NBI said Bantag and Deputy Security Officer Ricardo Zulueta were behind the death of Lapid and Cristito “Jun” Villamor Palana, who was identified as the reported middleman and were charged as “principals by inducement”.

Bantag was preventively suspended after Palana’s death, and was also identified as one of the 160 personalities of interest.

Remulla said that subpoenas will be issued to Bantag and Zulueta, who has gone hiding.

“Now they will be issued subpoenas in their last known addresses because we understand that Zulueta has been hiding already. He skipped town four or five days ago,” Remulla said.

Several inmates, including gang leaders from the New Bilibid Prison, were also facing murder complaints for the death of Lapid and Palana.

Palanam in a Facebook message to his sister on October 18, said that if he were to die in prison that she should tell self-confessed gunman Joel Escorial that commanders Alvin Labra of the Batang City Jail Gang, Alfie Penaredonda of the HappyGoLucky Gang and Aldrin Galicia of Sputnik Gang ordered him to be killed.

On October 3, Lapid was shot dead in Las Pinas.

Fifteen days later October, Escorial surrendered to authorities and yielded a gun that he used to murder Lapid, citing that he feared for his life. Jaspearl Tan/DMS