DILG commends PNP indict suspects in Lapid slay
LOCAL Government Secretary Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr. commended the Philippine National Police for helping indict three middlemen in the Percy Lapid murder case.
On Friday, Aldrin Galicia, Alvin Labra and Alfie Peñaredonda, leaders of the Sputnik, Batang City Jail and Happy Go Lucky gangs in the New Bilibid Prison, respectively, pleaded guilty as accessories to the murder of journalist Percival Mabasa, also known as “Percy Lapid,” before the Regional Trial Court of Las Piñas City.
“From the beginning, the police exerted herculean efforts to solve this case, in cooperation with the National Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice. From unearthing the CCTV video that led to the identification of the gunman Joel Escorial, the PNP has performed above and beyond the call of duty, Abalos said.
Lapid was gunned down outside his subdivision in Las Piñas on October 3, 2022. His self-confessed killer, Joel Escorial, surrendered on October 17, 2022, and named Bilibid inmate Jun Villamor as his recruiter.
On October 18, 2022, Jun Villamor was killed inside his cell, allegedly to silence him. Subsequently, the DOJ charged former Bureau of Corrections Chief Gerald Bantag and his deputy Ricardo Zulueta as principals in the murders of Lapid and Villamor. The pair are currently at large and facing a government manhunt.
