Iwahig inmate tags BuCor security officer in Percy Lapid killing

The inmate who was flown in from the Iwahig Penal Colony in Palawan has identified a Bureau of Corrections officer as the person who told him about the plan to kill broadcaster Percy Lapid.

According to John Consulta's report on "24 Oras", Denver Mayores said in a sworn statement that it was Senior Superintendent Ricardo Zulueta who asked him to find a person who would kill Lapid.

Zulueta was among those who were the subjects of criminal complaints filed before the Department of Justice in connection with the deaths of Lapid and an alleged middleman in the slay plot, New Bilibid Prison inmate Cristito Villamor Palaña or Jun Villamor.

Last September 2022, Zulueta called him, saying that “pare, may trabaho.”

He said this meant there was an order to kill someone.

When he asked who was going to be killed, Zulueta gave the name Lapid and instructed him to search for him on Facebook.

Mayores said he then communicated to inmate Alvin Labra and relayed the message.

After 12 days, Mayores messaged three dots to Zulueta which meant that he was the one texting.

Zulueta called him and said “Pare Kamusta na? Naiinip na ang itaas.”

Asked who was “itaas,” Mayores said it was Bantag.

Mayores said they all know that Zulueta is referring to Bantag as “itaas,” adding that he was his close aid.

He said he threw away the SIM card that he used to communicate with Zulueta to avoid getting tracked down.

“Meron tayong hawak na mga sworn statement na sinasabi na kapag ang PDL ay kausap si Zulueta lagi niyang pinapatungkulan itong either si tanda or itaas which can only refer to Bantag,” Atty. Eugene Javier of NBI-NCR said.

The person who deposited money to the account of self confessed gunman Joel Escorial has also given a sworn statement to the NBI.

Based on the affidavit of “Kylie,” Labra called him on October 4, 2022 around 10 a.m. and asked that P350,000 be deposited in a bank account.

Kylie then deposited P300,000 to Escorial's bank account.

This matched in the passbook of Escorial that the money was deposited on the same date.

Labra then called Kylie on October 7 at 1 p.m. to deposit another P50,000  to Escorial’s bank account. It also matched in the electronic transaction of Escorial.

Kylie was a supplier of the inmates’ basketball uniforms and had direct contact with the officers in the BuCor. —Richa Noriega/NB, GMA News