The former head of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), Gerald Bantag, and former deputy officer Ricardo Zulueta have been issued a hold departure order (HDO) by the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court.
State prosecutors requested the order to prevent Bantag and Zulueta from leaving the country while the case regarding the murder of Jun Villamor is pending.
"To reiterate, the issuance of the hold departure order is for the court to maintain the effectiveness of its jurisdiction over the person of the accused in this case," it read.
"In order not to frustrate the ends of justice, it is imperative that a hold departure order be issued to prevent accused from leaving the country during the pendency of the instant case," it added.
Villamor was allegedly the middleman in the killing of broadcaster Percy Lapid.
The HDO was signed by Judge Gener Gito of the Muntinlupa City RTC Branch 206.
Separate warrants of arrest were previously issued by the Muntinlupa court and the Las Piñas City Regional Trial Court Branch 254 for Bantag and Zulueta regarding the killings of Villamor and Lapid, respectively.
Lapid was shot and killed in Las Piñas on October 3, 2022, while Villamor died at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa on October 18.
An autopsy conducted by forensic pathologist Dr. Raquel Fortun revealed that Villamor's remains had a "history of asphyxia by plastic bag suffocation."
Bantag has denied the allegations against him, claiming they were fabricated.
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla earlier said that Bantag has reportedly expressed his intention to surrender.
