JAVIER, Leyte – The family of Cristito “Jun” Villamor Palaña, one of the alleged ‘’middlemen’’ in the murder of hard-hitting broadcast journalist Percival Mabasa, also known as “Percy Lapid,” sought justice for his death on Saturday, Nov. 5.
"Why did they kill him when he was already in jail? We want to know everything. We want justice for his death," Palaña’s father said as he received the remains of his son in their home in Barangay Rizal here.
"I have not even hurt him since he was a kid but he just ended up dead like this. I did not know what really happened to him," the Palaña patriarch added.
He said representatives from the Commission on Human Rights have already visited them to help in the filing of the case against the perpetrators.
The Javier police, National Bureau of Investigation, and Department of Justice have been deployed to secure the Palañas family.
Jun’s father thanked people who assisted them in transporting the remains of his son from the national penitentiary where he was found dead on Oct. 18 to their home.
"I never imagined that he would be home like this. I worked hard even if I am blind and old because I was still hoping that he would come out of jail but not like this," he said.
"If he had money to kill someone, then our situation will not be like this," he added, citing that despite his age and disability, he still works as a farmer to support Jun's children.
Jun died from plastic bag suffocation according to a re-autopsy conducted by Dr. Raquel Fortun, a forensic pathologist, in which she disclosed that the body was found to have a history of asphyxia.
Fortun also included listed pulmonary congestion, edema or swelling, and hemorrhages in her findings, although there were no signs of physical injuries and foul play on Palaña's death based on the NBI initial autopsy.
Palaña's remains were airlifted to the Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport in Tacloban City on Saturday night and were accompanied by his sister. A local funeral parlor transported his remains in a white casket to the family residence.
Javier is a fourth-class and interior municipality. It is about 66 kilometers south of the provincial capital Tacloban City.