News Roundup 08 November 2022
Nov 08, 2022 • 5 min Read
Persons higher than Bantag may be named masterminds in Lapid slay — Mabasa lawyer | INQUIRER.NET – Persons that have a higher ranking than suspended Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) director general Gerald Bantag can still be named as masterminds in the Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa slay, said the Mabasa family lawyer on Tuesday. Authorities have named Bantag as one of the alleged masterminds behind Lapid’s killing, and the BuCor chief now faces murder raps. Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla has urged the BuCor chief to surrender. “From the results of the fact-finding investigation of the DOJ, as Secretary Remulla said, the totality of evidence points to General Bantag as the mastermind. Although, we are not discounting the possibility that there could be persons higher than Bantag that can be involved in the killings,” said Mabasa family lawyer Danilo Pelagio in an interview with ANC. In a previous interview with DZMM, Lapid’s brother, Roy Mabasa, had said that former president Rodrigo Duterte should be a person of interest in Lapid’s killing, as Duterte was heavily criticized in the slain journalist’s commentary. According to Pelagio, there is no evidence yet linking Duterte to the case. “There are, as we understood, 160 persons of interest but right now, if we look at the evidence, there is no evidence linking the president. That’s why, in the course of the trial, something could crop up which could lead to the filing of new charges,” Palagio stated. Meanwhile, Bantag has already denied allegations of being linked to the Lapid case, saying that he would rather die than go to prison.
DOJ seeks precautionary hold departure order vs Lapid slay masterminds | PHILSTAR.COM – The Department of Justice is set to file a precautionary hold departure order against suspended Bureau of Corrections Director-General Gerald Bantag and his security officer Ricardo Zulueta, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla disclosed Tuesday. Bantag and Zulueta are among the principal respondents of complaints filed by the National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine National Police over the murders of radioman Percy Mabasa and Bilibid inmate Jun Villamor. At a chance interview with reporters Tuesday afternoon, the justice chief said he still has not spoken with Bantag while Zulueta, who was still reporting at the Bilibid when raps against him were filed, has since gone AWOL. But he said that Bantag cannot be considered in hiding yet, saying the law dictates authorities “have to give the summons to his last known address.” Asked if the situation necessitated an immigration lookout bulletin order, Remulla responded in the negative. “There’s no need because they’re public officials. They cannot leave the country without a travel authority,” he said. An ILBO, issued by the Justice Department and the Bureau of Immigration, directs all immigration officers to closely report to the DOJ and the National Bureau of Investigation any attempt by the subjects to leave the country. A hold departure is issued by the courts only if there are charges filed against the person, which would allow immigration officers to monitor and ultimately prevent any attempts to leave the country. Complaints have already been filed against Bantag and Zulueta and preliminary investigation is set to follow, which would allow prosecutors to seek precautionary HDO from the court. “What’s really more important here is that we are already filing a hold departure order. I already instructed the staff to start,” Remulla said. On Monday, the NBI at a press conference disclosed that it found links between the gangs in the national penitentiary and Bantag and Zulueta, who supposedly asked them to raise money to pay a hitman to assassinate the tough-talking radio journalist. Zulueta is still at large and was last seen “four to five days ago,” Remulla said at the same press conference earlier Monday. “Participate in the preliminary investigation…put your money where your mouth is. If you really have deniability, then tell us, bring the truth out in an affidavit and make your sworn statement. We don’t have a bias here, we are not here to oppress anybody. We’re here to find out the truth. That is our job,” Remulla appealed to the two.
MMDA: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Metro Manila mall hours to start next week | PHILSTAR.COM – Ahead of the Christmas season, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and mall owners and operators in the capital region have agreed to adjust mall operations from 11 a.m. until 11 p.m. from Nov.14, 2022 until Jan. 6, 2023. The decision came as a result of a consultative meeting with major stakeholders at the MMDA New Building in Pasig City, the MMDA said in a statement sent to reporters Tuesday afternoon. MMDA Acting Chairman Romando Artes said the agency requested mall operators to adjust their mall hours to alleviate the expected heavier traffic jams during the Christmas season. “Starting November 14, malls in NCR will operate from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. instead of their usual operating hours. We have to implement remedial measures to reduce traffic congestion,” said Artes. “Mall-wide sales will be only allowed during weekends. Also, deliveries will be from 11pm to 5am only. Exempted from the regulation are deliveries of perishable goods, restaurants serving breakfast, and groceries.” Citing data from the Land Transportation Office, the MMDA said earlier that the vehicular volume in EDSA has already well exceeded its last recorded pre-pandemic levels as restrictions continue to ease. As of press time, registered vehicles in Metro Manila continue to increase from its earlier high 2.9 million last 2021 according to the MMDA. Artes also added that mall operators were directed to submit their respective traffic management plans, and indicate their mall sales and promotional events two weeks before the said schedule. “We will make a further study on their traffic management plan. We will deploy [the] necessary number of traffic enforcers to man the traffic,” he stressed. Artes also hinted at the possibility of lifting mall operating hours restrictions earlier than Jan. 6, 2023, depending on the traffic situation after Christmas. “We will observe the traffic situation in the metropolis on December 26. If the traffic is normal and manageable, we will immediately lift the restrictions and announce it to the public,” he said.
