Muntinlupa court archives murder case vs. Bantag, Zulueta

A Muntinlupa court has archived the murder case filed against former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Gerald Bantag and his former deputy, Ricardo Zulueta, pending their arrest in connection with the death of a New Bilibid Prison (NBP) inmate.

In a seven-page order, the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 206 archived the case involving the killing of Jun Villamor, the alleged middleman in the killing of broadcaster Percy Lapid, subject to revival.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is offering a P3 million cash reward to anyone who can provide information on Bantag and Zulueta, who both remain at large despite the issuance of an arrest warrant against them.

Sought for comment regarding this development, Justice officer-in-charge Raul Vasquez said archiving the case was only part of the process.

“Kasi kung ang isang akusado po ay wala sa jurisdiction ng korte, hindi po puwedeng tumakbo ang prosekusyon, ang trial. Ang first crucial act is the fact that the accused, the person of the accused is subjected within the jurisdiction of the trial court,” he said in a media briefing.

(When an accused is not under the jurisdiction of the court, the prosecution or the trial cannot resume. The first crucial act is the fact that the accused is subjected within the jurisdiction of the trial court.)

Vasquez said failure to archive a case may cause administrative problems in the courts' dockets.

“Dapat ‘yung mga kasong ganyan ay hindi dapat mabinbin ng napakatagal at may epekto ‘yun po sa performance ng isang Korte. So ang ginagawa nila [ay] archive subject to revival,” he said.

(Cases like that should not be delayed for a long time because it may affect the performance of the Court. So they archive it subject to revival.)

Guilty plea

Meanwhile, several accused pleaded guilty to lesser offenses and were sentenced by the court.

“Considering the pleas of guilty of the present accused, the prosecution was able to prove the guilt of all the accused present beyond a reasonable doubt,” the order said.

The court said Mario Alvarez, Christian Ramac, Ricky Salgado, Ronnie Dela Cruz, and Joel Reyes pleaded guilty to the lesser offense of accomplice to the crime of murder. They are sentenced to a minimum imprisonment of six years to up to 14 years, eight months, and one day.

According to the court, they are also ordered to pay P75,000 as civil indemnity, P75,000 as moral damages, and P75,000 as exemplary damages to the complainant.

Meanwhile, accused Alvin Labra, Aldrin Galicia, and Joseph Georfo pleaded guilty to the lesser offense of accessory to the crime of murder. They were sentenced to a minimum imprisonment of two years and four months to up to eight years and one day. 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.

“[T]he NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) is hereby directed to transfer the custody of the accused Galicia, Alvarez, Ramac, Salgado, Dela Cruz, and Reyes to the New Bilibid Prison for the service of their sentence,” the order read.

Lapid was shot dead in Las Piñas City on October 3, 2022.

Villamor, meanwhile, died at the NBP on October 18. An autopsy conducted by forensic pathologist Dr. Raquel Fortun showed that his remains had a “history of asphyxia by plastic bag suffocation.”

Last week, the Las Piñas Regional Trial Court sentenced three NBP inmates to two to eight years in prison as accessories in the Lapid killing. —KBK, GMA Integrated News