Aside from murder and administrative complaints, suspended Bureau of Corrections (Bucor) Director General Gerald Q. Bantag also filed libel and graft charges against Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla before the Office of the Ombudsman (OMB).
Last Wednesday, Jan. 4, Bantag filed murder and administrative complaints against Remulla, BuCor Acting Director General Gregorio Pio P. Catapang Jr., and several inmates at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City for the deaths of radio commentator Percival “Percy Lapid” C. Mabasa and Cristito Villamor Palana, the alleged middleman of self-confessed gunman Joel S. Escorial in the killing of the broadcaster.
In a 12-page complaint for libel and graft filed last Dec. 27, Bantag told the OMB that Remulla should be “held liable for violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, crimes Punishable of under the Revised Penal Code and other Special Laws, Administrative Cases for Grave Misconduct, Gross Negligence and Conduct Prejudicial to the Best Interest of the Government, Violation of the Code of Professional Responsbility and such other offenses and violations as may be allowed under the circumstances.”
He asked the OMB to place Remulla under preventive suspension “for him not to use his position to influence the investigation in relation to this case and the cases filed against the complainant (Bantag) before the Department of Justice” (DOJ).
He also asked Remulla’s suspension in his murder and administrative complaints.
He cited six instances in which Remulla allegedly committed graft and libel. He named them as: “the drug case against the secretary’s son, Juanito Diaz Remulla III; the Oct. 29, 2022 press conference held by Remulla with forensic pathologist Dr. Raquel Fortun; the Nov. 7, 2022 joint press conference that was held with Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos Jr.; and the media interviews of Remulla on Nov. 9, 2022, Nov. 19, 2022 and Dec. 5, 2022.”
He then asked the OMB to “conduct an investigation as to the acts and omissions committed by the respondent (Remulla)” and “file the appropriate criminal, administrative and disciplinary cases against the respondent.”
Juanito was arrested on Oct. 11, 2022 by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) for the “importation and possession” of high-grade marijuana called Kush.
However, Bantag said “respondent’s failure to coordinate with the US Secretary of the Department of Justice as regards the exportation of Kush to his son from the United States of America clearly showed manifest bad faith and gross inexcusable negligence on his part because this is a very serious matter which should be stopped since it is a transnational crime.”
He said the Oct, 29, 2022 press conference was held by Remulla to present the results of the autopsy conducted by Fortun on Palana.
He claimed that Fortun disclosed that “she did not find anything unusual, no external or internal injuries were found over the body of the victim and the cause of death is undetermined....”
“But surprisingly, Dr. Fortun changed her mind due to the external information she received not only from the alleged PDLs but from the statement of the respondent (Remulla) himself (to Dr. Fortun) that the use of plastic bag may have caused the death of Villamor,” he pointed out.
After murder complaints were filed before the DOJ against him, Bantag said that he was asked by Remulla to surrender.
He pointed out that Remulla made the call for him to surrender “despite the fact that there is yet no Criminal Information and Warrant of Arrests” and that “there was even no Subpoenas that were issued.”
He also said that Remulla told the media on Nov. 9, 2022 that “on Sept. 9, 2022, complainant (Bantag) was allegedly very furious when the latter learned that Lapid went to his house in Laguna on that day to take pictures.”
“This statement of the respondent is a pure and simple lie and a product of his sinister fabrication of twisting the truth because as has already been clearly established, the video of Percy Lapid regarding an alleged Cinderalla was uploaded in his You Tube channel in Sept. 5, 2022,” said Bantag who is allegedly the “Cinderalla man” mentioned by Mabasa in his Sept. 5, 2022 YouTube video.
Also, Bantag said that Remulla revealed to the media on Nov. 19, 2022 that he ordered Bantag to stop the excavation inside the Bilibid reservation after learning from the suspended official that the aim of the digging was to find the Yamashita treasure.
“If indeed complainant told respondent that the digging is to search for Yamashita Treasure and the latter allegedly told the former to stop, why did he not issue a written order/memorandum to the complainant?” Bantag said.
“Respondent’s inaction in not issuing a written order/memorandum to complainant assuming that the digging inside the New Bilibid Prison is for the search for Yamashita Treasure would clearly show that respondent willfully and negligently failed to do his job,” he argued.
Bantag has a pending motion before the DOJ to inhibit the panel of prosecutors from investigating the murder complaints filed against him.
However, Bantag said Remulla, during the Dec. 5, 2022 interview, told journalists that “they are executive and not judicial, and inhibition is not a question” adding that “that is not allowed.”
“This statement of the respondent himself again would likely influence the resolution of the Motion for Inhibition filed by the complainant before the panel of prosecutors because as we all know, the panel of prosecutors is under the direct control and supervision of the respondent,” he told the OMB.
Please read: Bantag files before Ombudsman murder charges vs Remulla for deaths of Percy Lapid, ‘middleman’ https://mb.com.ph/2023/01/05/bantag-files-before-ombudsman-murder-chargesvs-remulla-for-deaths-of-percy-lapid-middleman/
TAGS: #Remulla #Bantag #Percy Lapid