NBI fails to find ex-jails chief
Sacked Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Gerald Bantag eluded arrest on Friday as the National Bureau of Investigation raided two houses to arrest him. Bantag has been charged of masterminding the killing of radio broadcaster Percival Mabasa, also known as Percy Lapid, and prisoner Jun Villaazmor last year.
The Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court and Las Piñas Regional Trial Court have issued warrants for Bantag’s arrest, but he was not found at the houses in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, and Caloocan City that the NBI raided.
In 2022, Mabasa was shot dead near his home after supposedly linking Bantag to corruption. Officials have also accused Bantag of ordering the killing of Jun Villamor, a prison inmate who allegedly passed the kill order to the gunman who shot Mabasa.
The DOJ has offered a P2-million reward for information leading to Bantag’s capture, and the NBI said it will continue its manhunt for the elusive former prisons chief. —RUSSEL LORETO
