News Roundup 20 October 2022
Oct 20, 2022 • 5 min Read
Remulla says alleged middleman in Percy Lapid slay died in Bilibid this week | PHILSTAR.COM – The supposed middleman who arranged the killing of radio broadcaster Percy Lapid from inside the New Bilibid Prison died this week, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said. ABS-CBN News reported that Remulla confirmed the death of the supposed middleman, a Person Deprived of Liberty at Bilibid, last October 18. “Alleged middleman, hindi ko talaga alam ang storya niyan ano. Alam ko lang, naabutan ko lang talaga na (I don’t really know the story here, all I know is) the gunman pointed out to some people and there are six of them, and how it was organized or how it happened, I do not know. But the gunman is the one who has spoken so far,” Remulla told reporters at an unscheduled interview on Thursday. The DOJ chief added that the inmate was brought to the NBP hospital. He added that they want to determine the circumstances of the death of the supposed middleman. “[National Bureau of Investigation] autopsy is very important. We will open it to other medicolegal experts to find out,” Remulla added. The justice chief admitted that other details remain unclear, including the criminal record of the supposed middleman, but he was 42 years old. Escorial surrendered to authorities earlier this week, saying he feared for his security after CCTV images of him were made public. He claimed that the hit order came from the Bilibid, and authorities were directed to conduct an investigation into the claim. Meanwhile the DOJ, in a separate statement, said the murder complaint filed against confessed gunman Joel Escorial in the killing of Lapid, whose real name is Percival Mabasa, will undergo preliminary investigation. This means that Escorial, who already confessed to shooting Lapid, will be given a chance to submit his defense through a counter-affidavit. Initially, the complaint filed by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and Lapid’s brother, Roy Mabasa, was set for inquest proceeding on October 24. The DOJ in a statement said Escorial re-affirmed his extrajudicial confession where he admitted shooting Lapid three times on October 3 in Las Piñas City. He also said he was accompanied by Israel Dimaculangan, Edmon Dimaculangan and a certain Orly/Orlando are currently at-large. “They planned and executed the same upon inducement or order of a certain Crisanto Palana Villamor, also known as ‘Idoy,’ who promised to pay them P550,000.000. Moreover, alias Orly/Orlando and Dimaculangan brothers joined Escorial because a certain Christopher Bacoto (Yoyoy), also known as “Jerry Sandoval,” talked to his companions to help him in killing Percy Lapid,” the DOJ said. The department pointed out that only three of the identified cohorts have been named as respondents in the complaint while Villamor and Bacoto have been left out. The DOJ said investigators of Las Piñas City Police Station and the CIDG, PNP were “directed to conduct further investigation of the personalities named in the affidavit of Escorial to determine their whereabouts and participation, whether directly or indirectly, and include them all in the complaint as respondents or charge them accordingly.”
‘Middleman from prison’ in Percy Lapid slay identified, facing drug-related raps | INQUIRER.NET – The middleman in prison, who allegedly relayed the order to kill Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa, has not been convicted yet, but is facing drug-related charges. Police Lt. Gen. Rhodel Sermonia, Philippine National Police (PNP) Office of the Deputy Chief for Administration, said this on Thursday as he confirmed that they had identified the middleman through confessed gunman Joel Escorial’s extrajudicial confession. “The middleman who contacted Joel Escorial is now in jail,” Sermonia told ABS-CBN News’ Headstart. Asked if the middleman has been convicted, Sermonia said: “He is still undergoing trial, awaiting a decision.” Sermonia’s statement debunks theories that the middleman is from inside the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City since only convicted criminals are held inside the facility. Sermonia later confirmed that the middleman is facing drug-related charges. Lapid’s brother, veteran journalist Roy Mabasa, earlier requested for the PNP to safeguard the middleman, citing his crucial role in leading the investigation to the mastermind. With this in mind, Sermonia ascertained that the police have since coordinated with the officer-in-charge of the particular detention cell to ensure the protection and security of the middleman. He noted, however, that the middleman has not been transferred to another jail facility since that will require a certain procedure. “We cannot just transfer him immediately. We have to secure a court order before we can transfer detainees. The best that we have done so far is to coordinate it with the one in charge of the detention cell, so that security will be given to him,” Sermonia explained in a mix of Filipino and English. He also pointed out that police investigators have not yet established “an in-depth investigation on the relationship of Joel Escorial with the middleman.”
Bakers’ group asks gov’t for hike in bread prices | INQUIRER.NET – Local bakers are hopeful that the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will heed their request for a P4 increase in the price of two bread products due to the rising cost of raw materials. They expect the price adjustment to be reflected in the latest list of suggested retail prices (SRP) which the DTI is expected to release anytime this week. Philippine Baking Industry Group (PhilBaking) president Jerry Lao said on Wednesday that they met with the DTI last week about their request for a P4-price hike for Pinoy Tasty and Pinoy Pandesal. “With regard to our request for price increase, we are still waiting for [the] SRP bulletin for this coming Christmas. We hope our request will be granted,” Lao told the Inquirer, adding that the DTI had assured them that it would be included in the next SRP list. He said that due to rising production costs, there was no more incentive for them to keep on making the two bread products. Trade Undersecretary Ruth Castelo, head of DTI’s consumer protection group, did not respond when sought for comment by the Inquirer. Lao said that for every P40 increase in the price of flour, they have determined that there should be a corresponding P1 hike in the price of Pinoy Tasty.
