ACT-Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro thinks that a lifestyle check should be conducted on officials of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), both active and inactive.
"Nakakapagtaka na talaga ang mga sinasabing 'twists' sa Percy Lapid case and sa tingin ko ay mas malalim pa ang pinag-uugatan nito (The twists in the Percy Lapid case are intriguing and I think that these have deeper roots),” Castro began on Monday, Oct. 24.
Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa was shot to death on Oct. 3. He was known for his hard-hitting style of broadcast journalism.
In order to determine those involved with illegal activites, Castro reckoned that lifestyle checks should be conducted on BuCor officials.
“Percy may have touched a very sensitive chord when he called for a lifestyle check on Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) officials and the powers that be in the prison conspired to eliminate him. It would be prudent if authorities would follow Percy's tip of conducting a lifestyle check of past and present BuCor officials if they are indeed living within their means or have dipped their fingers in the illegal activities inside," said the House deputy minority leader.
It was recently reported that suspended BuCor Director General Gerald Bantag had been labeled a "person of interest" in the killing of the veteran broadcaster.
READ:
"We also hope that an independent autopsy of the supposed 'middle-man' is not too late and evidence can still be gathered on how he died. As it is we have received reports of many issues in the National Bilibid Prison (NBP) from contract killing, militarization of the prison system, as well as the different forms of corruption in NBP," Castro continued.
She was referring to the BuCor’s previous claim that a “middleman” involved in the killing had died of natural causes.
READ:
“Kapag ganito ang nangyayari paano marereform at makakabalik as productive members of society ang mga nakakulong ngayon baka lalo lang lumala ang kanilang sitwasyon (If this is what is happening, how will those in prison be reformed and return as productive members of society, their situation might get even worse),” she concluded.