Gen. Rodolfo Azurin, Jr., chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), ordered on Tuesday, Oct, 25, the deployment of police personnel to secure the family of broadcast journalist Percival Mabasa following reports that some of the family members were receiving death threats.
The same order, according to Azurin, was issued for the family of Crisanto Villamor, an inmate at the New Bilibid Prisons who died a day after self-confessed gunman Joel Escorial pointed to him as the middleman in the killing of Mabasa.
"Investigation is also ongoing to determine where these threats are coming from," said Azurin.
Azurin said those who have been sending threats to both the family of Mabasa and Villamor are probably also involved in the killing.
On the part of the family of Mabasa, Azurin said he had directed the director of the Southern Police District to coordinate and discuss the security measures for them.
He said the concerned regional director was also directed to do the same for the family of Villamor.
Escorial and Villamor, along with another alleged middleman now being secured by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), were reportedly childhood friends in the Visayas.