News Roundup 13 April 2023
Apr 13, 2023 • 5 min Read
Muntinlupa court orders arrest of ex-BuCor chief Bantag for murder of Bilibid inmate | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines —The Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court has ordered the arrest of former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Gerald Bantag and his deputy, Ricardo Zulueta, for the death of Bilibid inmate Cristito Palana Villamor or Jun Villamor, the alleged middleman in the killing of broadcaster Percival Mabasa or Percy Lapid.
Bantag and Zulueta are facing a case for violation of Article 248 of the Revised Penal Code or murder.
Villamor was identified by confessed gunman Joel Escorial as the one who hired him to kill Lapid.
Escorial was presented to the media on October 18, 2022, where he mentioned that the order to kill Lapid came from someone inside Bilibid.
Barely a week later, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said Villamor has died.
An independent autopsy conducted by forensic pathologist Raquel Fortun based on evidence suggested that Villamor may have suffocated from a plastic bag over his head.
Bantag and Zulueta are both indicted for two counts of murder each–for the death of Villamor and Lapid.
The murder case in connection with the death of Lapid is pending before the Las Piñas Court.
INQUIRER.net has reached out to Bantag’s counsel but has yet to reply as of posting time.
DOJ, NBI urged to go after ‘mafia’ behind Percy Lapid’s slay, other crimes in Bilibid | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Justice (DOJ) and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) should go after alleged mafia members involved in the brazen murder of veteran radioman Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa and other crimes committed inside the New Bilibid Prison (NBP).
Senator Risa Hontiveros issued this call on Thursday, while she hailed the arrest order on former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Gerald Bantag and his deputy Ricardo Zulueta for the death of NBP inmate Cristito Palana Villamor – the alleged middleman in the assassination of Lapid.
The development in the case, she noted, “brings us one crucial step closer to achieving justice for the killing of Ka Percy Lapid.”
“I urge General Bantag, being a former law enforcer himself, to cooperate with the authorities and do nothing to frustrate the administration of justice,” the legislator said in a statement.
But it must not stop there, Hontiveros stressed.
She said the DOJ and the NBI should “continue and expand” the probe beyond Bantag and Zulueta and likewise look into the “Ocho Boys” and other alleged members of the supposed mafia linked to the murder of Lapid and other crimes in the NBP.
Full Story at: DOJ, NBI urged to go after ‘mafia’ behind Percy Lapid’s slay, other crimes in Bilibid | Inquirer News
Azurin to break silence on P6.7 billion shabu cover-up | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — Tight-lipped since Monday, Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. vowed he would break his silence soon on the alleged attempt by top Philippine National Police (PNP) officials to cover up the arrest of Rodolfo Mayo Jr., one of the most wanted ex-policemen in the country.
Yesterday, Col. Redrico Maranan, who heads the PNP Public Information Office (PIO), told reporters that Azurin would “give a public statement in the coming days” and that he is just waiting for all reports surrounding Mayo’s arrest to come in.
Last Monday, Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos accused 10 police officials, including two star-ranked officers, of hiding the arrest of Mayo, the anti-narcotics officer who was dismissed from the PNP and has been at large since 990 kilos of shabu worth P6.7 billion were seized from his property in Tondo, Manila.
Abalos based his conclusion of a police cover-up on surveillance camera footage showing Mayo being arrested and later being uncuffed and released last Oct. 8.
But one of the generals alluded to by Abalos, Brig. Gen. Narciso Domingo, said the decision to release Mayo after his arrest was a “tactical move,” which Azurin supposedly approved with Lt. Gen. Benjamin Santos Jr., former PNP director for comptrollership, in an effort to seize another large cache of shabu from a warehouse in Pasig City.
Full Story at: Azurin to break silence on P6.7 billion shabu cover-up | Philstar.com
New lawyers’ code includes behavior on social media, pledge to ‘do justice’ | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court on Thursday launched the Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability, an updated guide for the conduct of lawyers across the country “for a more ethical and faithful practice of the profession.”
The CPRA was officially launched at the Manila Hotel, a culmination of a seven-month journey of the Supreme Court to come up with a “modern, relevant and responsive guide for a lawyer’s conduct,” with consultations from over 2,000 law practitioners nationwide.
The code was launched as the country anticipates the addition of new lawyers to the rolls with the release of Bar exam results on Friday.
Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, in his keynote speech, said the CPRA did more than revise the Code of Professional Responsibility of lawyers, which had been left untouched for 34 years.
“[I]t is an overhaul—an overhaul on the approach and attitude by lawyers of their ethical responsibility in the new ear of law practices—an era of more attuned, more responsible and more accountable legal practice,” the chief justice said.
The SC approved the CPRA on April 11, in an en banc session in Baguio City.
Full Story at: New lawyers’ code includes behavior on social media, pledge to ‘do justice’ | Philstar.com
