A Muntinlupa court has ordered the archiving of the murder case against former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Gerald Bantag and his former deputy security officer Ricardo Zulueta, who both remained at large.
BREAKING: Kasong murder laban kina dating Bureau of Corrections Dir. Gen. Gerald Bantag, at dating Bucor Deputy Security Office Ricardo Zulueta, ipinag utos ng Muntilupa Regional Trial Court Branch 206 na i-‘archive’ muna. | via RH29 @boy_gonzales pic.twitter.com/F3Qf2ZYE5P
— DZRH NEWS (@dzrhnews) June 29, 2023
In a seven-page order, the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 206 archived the case involving the death of Jun Villamor, the alleged middleman in the killing of broadcaster Percy Lapid, subject to revival.
This comes after other suspects, Alvin Labra, Aldrin Galicia, Mario Alvarez, Christian Ramac, Ricky Salgado, Ronnie Dela Cruz, Joel Reyes, and Joseph Georfo pleaded guilty to the lesser offense of acting as an accomplice to murder.
“Considering that the other accused in this case, accused DG Gerald Bantag y Quitaleg and CT/SSUPT. Ricardo Zulueta y Soriano, are not yet arrested, let this case be sent to the archive subject to revival upon arrest of said accused,” Presiding Judge Gener Gito said in his order.
The court sentenced Alvarez, Ramac, Salgado, Dela Cruz, and Reyes to imprisonment of 6 to 14 years. They were also ordered to pay the private complainant a total of P225,000 for civil indemnity, moral damages, and exemplary damages.
Meanwhile, Labra, Galicia, and Georfo were sentenced to 2 to 8 years imprisonment. The three were also directed to pay the complainant P50,000 as civil indemnity, P50,000 as moral damages, and P50,000 as exemplary damages.
The court likewise ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to transfer the custody of Galicia, Alvarez, Ramac, Salgado, Dela Cruz, and Reyes to the Bilibid for the service of their sentence.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) is offering a P3 million cash reward to anyone who can provide information on Bantag and Zulueta.
In an interview with DZRH, Bantag and Zulueta's lawyer, Atty. Lauro Gacayan, said that the two are not hiding and have been staying in the Cordillera Administrative Region.
Lapid was shot dead in Las Piñas City on October 3, 2022.
