Eight co-accused of former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) director general Gerald Q. Bantag and then security officer Ricardo S. Zulueta in the killing of New Bilibid Prison (NBP) inmate Cristito Villamor Palana have been convicted by the Muntinlupa City regional trial court (RTC) after pleading guilty to lesser offenses of accomplice and accessory in the murder case.
Palana had been identified as “middleman” in the slaying of radio broadcaster Percival C. Mabasa, popularly known as Percy Lapid, in Las Pinas City on Oct. 3, 2022.
He was found dead in his detention cell at NBP on Oct 18, 2022 days after he was identified by self-confessed gunman Joel S. Escorial as the middleman in the Percy Lapid slaying.
The convicted accomplices and accessories in the Palana killing are already persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) at the NBP in Muntinlupa City and have been serving prison terms for previous criminal convictions.
The judgment of conviction was contained in a seven-page order dated June 27, 2023 and issued by RTC Judge Gener M. Gito of Branch 206.
Convicted as accomplices in the murder case were PDLs Mario G. Alvarez, Christian D. Ramac, Ricky L. Salgado, Ronnie P. Dela Cruz, and Joel A. Reyes.
They were sentenced to a prison term ranging from six years and one day as minimum to 14 years, eight months and one day as maximum. They were also ordered to pay the family of Palana P75,000 for civil indemnity, P75,000 for moral damages, and P75,000 for exemplary damages.
Convicted as accessories were PDLs Alvin C. Labra, Aldrin M. Galicia, and Joseph M. Georgio who were sentenced to a prison term ranging from two years, four months and one day as minimum to eight years and one day as maximum.
They were also ordered to pay Palana’s family P50,000 for civil indemnity, P50,000 for moral damages, and P50,000 for exemplary damages.
In his order, Judge Gito said: “Considering the pleas of guilty of the present accused, the prosecution was able to prove the guilt of all the accused present beyond reasonable doubt as accomplice for accused Alvarez, Ramac, Salgado, Dela Cruz and Reyes, and as accessory for accused Labra, Galicia, and Georfo to the crime of murder pursuant to Article 248 in relation to Articles 18 and 19 of the Revised Penal Code,”
Since Bantag and Zulueta have remained at large, the case against them have been archived pending their arrest or surrender.
Judge Gito directed the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to return Galicia, Alvarez, Ramac, Salgado, Dela Cruz and Reyes to the custody of the NBP to serve their sentences.
The judge said the decision of the eight accused to plead guilty for a lesser offense was in accordance with Section 2 of Rule 116 of the Rules of Criminal Procedure.
He recounted that during the pre-trial of the case, the eight accused who were accompanied by their respective lawyers reiterated their previous manifestation to enter into a plea bargain deal in order to plead guilty to a lesser offense.
“The Court inquired from the prosecution and the private complainant whether they are amenable to the proposal of the present accused to enter a plea of guilty to a lesser offense. The prosecution manifested that it would give its consent to the proposal for plea bargaining if all the accused would enter stipulation of facts,” the judge also recalled.
“The respective counsels for the accused manifested that in connection with their proposal for plea bargaining, they are willing to enter into stipulation of the facts,” he added.
In the Percy Lapid killing, three co-accused of Bantag and Zulueta have been convicted as accessories in the death of the broadcaster after they pleaded guilty to a lesser offense.
Sentenced by Las Pinas City RTC Judge Harold Cesar Hulinganga to a prison term ranging from two to eight years each were NBP’s PDLs Galicia, Labra and Alfie Penaredonda.
Aside from Bantag, Zulueta and the three convicted PDLs, also charged in the killing of Percy Lapid were PDLs Denver Mayores and Christopher Bacoto, self-confessed killer Escorial, brothers Israel and Edmon Dimaculangan, and an accused only known as “Orly” or “Orlando.”
They had been charged in the Percy Lapid murder case as principals by indispensable cooperation in the case filed by the Department of Justice (DOJ).