News Roundup 10 October 2022
Oct 10, 2022 • 4 min Read
Lapid buried as bounty hits P6.5 million | PHILSTAR.COM – Slain radio broadcaster Percy Lapid was buried at the Manila Memorial Park in Parañaque yesterday afternoon. The bounty for information leading to the capture of his killers has reached P6.5 million after Speaker Martin Romualdez announced yesterday a P5-million reward, which will come from several congressmen. Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos earlier declared a bounty of P1.5 million, P500,000 of which will come from his own pocket. Lapid, whose real name is Percival Mabasa, was shot dead in Las Piñas last week while on his way to work. Lapid’s family, friends and colleagues went to his funeral as they called for justice for his murder. His brother, journalist Roy Mabasa, said in a speech that the presence of family and friends “shows the big legacy left by Ka Percy… in his 35 years of service in the broadcast industry.” “He protected the rights of the poor, he protected press freedom. Now that we will bury my brother, may we always remember the legacy of Percy Lapid. May this serve as the planting of seeds toward the fight for our freedom,” he added. Police over the weekend called on Lapid’s still-unidentified assailants to surrender peacefully. Abalos released a photograph of the alleged gunman, as taken from closed-circuit television videos.
QC cops arrest 2 labor organizers after arraignment on separate case | PHILSTAR.COM – Two labor organizers were arrested in Quezon City on Monday as they were leaving court after being arraigned on a separate case. labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno said. According to an alert issued by KMU, Kara Taggaoa of KMU International and Pasiklab Operators and Drivers Association-PISTON president Larry Valbuena were arrested for a Direct Assault case that the group said was, like the Robbery case they were arraigned on, fabricated and has no basis. “Nagpakilala ang arresting officer at binasahan sila ng kaso at Miranda Rights, ngunit walang pinakitang warrant of arrest. Ang warrant ay pinakita na lamang sa kanila nang papunta na sila sa Camp Karingal at makikita na ito ay ‘unserved’,” the group said. (The arresting officer introduced himself and informed the two of the charge and read them their Miranda Rights but did not show a warrant of arrest. The warrant was only shown as they were being brought to Camp Karingal and it was marked ‘unserved.’) A redacted copy of the warrant posted by KMU orders the arrest of Taggaoa, Valbuena and another person for alleged violation of Article 148 of the Revised Penal Code. That article penalizes “[employing] force or intimidation for the attainment of any of the purpose enumerated in defining the crimes of rebellion and sedition” as well as attacking, employing force, intimidating or resisting “any person in authority or any of his agents, while engaged in the performance of official duties.” Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 34, which issued the warrant, set bail at P36,000 each. “Pangalawang gawa-gawang kaso na ito na isinampa laban kina Kara at Larry ngunit wala pa ring abiso, preliminary investigation, at walang dinaanang due process,” KMU said, adding the case is from an incident that happened in 2020. The group said the belated filing shows that the government will continue to use what they said were made-up charges to silence activists and rights defenders under the Marcos administration. In a separate statement, rights alliance Karapayan called the arrests arbitrary. The group stressed that Taggaoa and Valbuena “did not receive any subpoena from the Office of the Prosecutor in Quezon City, nor were they given a chance to participate in the preliminary investigation on the complaints against them, in violation of their right to due process.”
Cops who rescued Leila de Lima from hostage-taker awarded by PNP | INQUIRER.NET – Police officers who rescued detained former senator Leila de Lima from a detainee who briefly held her hostage Sunday morning have been honored and awarded by the Philippine National Police (PNP). During its flag-raising ceremony Monday morning, the PNP awarded the Medalya ng Kadakilaan to the following officers:
- P/Col. Mark Pespes, acting director, Headquarters Support Service
- P/Cpt. Michael Gobway, PNP Special Action Force
- P/Mst. Sgt. Denver Lou Ngo-oc, PNP Special Action Force
- P/Cpl. Marvint Banigon, PNP Special Action Force
- Pat. Lorenze Ian Matias, PNP Headquarters Support Service
- P/CMst. Sgt. Jimmy Ferrer, PNP Headquarters Support Service
- P/Cpl. Rizza Pagaduan, PNP Headquarters Support Service
“For note-worthy acts of heroism, duty during the successful rescue of Atty. Leila de Lima, who was held hostage by high-profile PUPCs (persons under PNP custody), which resulted in an armed encounter and neutralization of the three hostage-takers […] the Medalya ng Kadakilaan is proudly awarded to the Camp Commander, Col. Mark Pespes,” the program host said. De Lima, detained at the PNP Custodial Center for drug-related charges, was taken hostage by detainee Feliciano Sulayao Jr., who, along with two other fellow detainees, tried to escape the facility. The former senator, a staunch critic of the past administration, said that she felt that she was about to die because Sulayao told her that since his companions were dead, he might as well die in the custodial center and take de Lima with him.
