Former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Gerald Bantag and former BuCor deputy security officer Ricardo Zulueta are not hiding and are presently in Cordillera, their legal counsel said on Tuesday.

"They are in the Cordillera Administrative Region. Ang mga tao naman dito ay suportado sa kanila," lawyer Lauro Gacayan said during an interview with DZRH’s Dos Por Dos.

“Hindi naman sa nagtatago. Dito naman sa Baguio or Benguet, they are not hiding naman, they are going to their relatives and so,” he added.

Atty. Lauro Gacayan, legal counsel ni Ricardo Zulueta: Wala kaming komento in so far as that P2M for Bantag and P1M [bounty] for Zulueta. #DosPorDos https://t.co/oC8Jq5PZPQ pic.twitter.com/UxPdTEWwas

— DZRH NEWS (@dzrhnews) June 19, 2023

Gacayan said that his clients will be “completing their legal rights" first before they will fully surrender to the custody of authorities.

The legal rights, according to the legal counsel, include the filing of petitions before the Court of Appeal (CA) to question the Regional Trial Court's (RTC) as well as the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) orders.

“Until may final decision sa mga higher court, whether correct or wrong ‘yung ginawa ng DOJ at pag-issue ng warrant of arrest ng RTC [Regional Trial Court],” he said.

Gacayan said Bantag and Zulueta have yet to give "surrender feels" to him.

On Monday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it will offer ₱3 million reward money to anyone who can provide “credible information” that will lead to the arrest of the former BuCor officials.

A ₱2 million reward will be given for an individual who can give the whereabouts of Bantag while a ₱1 million reward for Zulueta's whereabouts.

In April, Las Piñas and Muntinlupa courts respectively issued a warrant of arrest against the two.