DILG dismayed over death of alleged middleman in Lapid slay
Published on: Saturday, October 22, 2022
By: PNA
MANILA: Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benhur Abalos (pic) expressed dismay over the reported death of an inmate who allegedly acted as a “middleman” in the plot to kill broadcaster Percival Mabasa also known as “Percy Lapid”.“To be honest, we are very saddened by this development. I hope everyone will understand that the police have worked hard on this case. From Day 1, we already offered a reward and almost every day the Task Force Lapid, the police officers, really worked hard.
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We really traced back until we tracked down this gunman. It has really been a hard work on the part of our PNP,” Abalos told reporters in press briefing on Thursday night at Camp Crame.
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla on Thursday revealed that the alleged middleman, an inmate in the National Bilibid Prison (NBP), died on Oct. 18 inside the national penitentiary’s hospital.
Remulla said the 42-year-old inmate was brought to the NBP hospital where he was pronounced dead.
He said he has yet to know the cause of death, saying the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has been tasked to conduct an autopsy.
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Abalos said if they found out there is a foul play based on the autopsy report, those responsible should be held accountable.
“Now there is an autopsy being conducted right now, we have to know first the results of the autopsy and once there is a foul play, we are really angry, we are demanding that the responsible should be held accountable. That’s what we can say for now,” Abalos said.
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He said he will be meeting with the Philippine National Police (PNP) officials to discuss this new development on the Mabasa slay case.
Abalos said they would work double time “or even triple time” just to pin down the mastermind with the help of the remaining witnesses.
For his part, Southern Police District (SPD) director, Brig. Gen. Kirby John Kraft, said there were two middlemen who contacted self-confessed gunman, Joel Escorial.
He said one middleman is an inmate detained in NBP and another at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) facility which is already secured.
Mabasa’s brother, Roy, also expresses sadness over the death of the middleman inmate at NBP.
“Our family was so saddened by this incident. We can’t imagine how this happened in a civilized country like ours,” said Roy, also a journalist.
Roy said his family was “depressed” because they believed the major breakthrough was reached following the identification of the person who ordered Escorial and his cohorts in killing his brother.
“Supposedly, he is going to be vital in the case that we filed…We’re saddened because this will be a big setback in the case,” he said.
Roy said the death of the middleman means that more people are involved in the death of his brother.
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