MANILA, Philippines — Urging a deeper investigation, Sen. Bong Revilla Jr. asked the Philippine National Police to continue its probe into the killing of broadcaster Percy Lapid even after Joel Estorial, the alleged hitman and principal suspect was taken into custody after the latter surrendered out of fear.
In a statement sent to reporters, the lawmaker said Tuesday that he filed Senate Resolution No. 264 asking the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs to conduct an inquiry in aid of legislation to look into how persons in the New Bilibid Prison seemingly run their criminal enterprises from inside the National Penitentiary.
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"It seems that there is no end to this - that the syndicates are still running their crimes within Bilibid," said Revilla. "If what Estorial is saying is true, it is very annoying that those inside can reach anyone outside, and they hold the life of anyone they choose," he said in mixed Filipino and English.
"It's ridiculous that government resources are being used to in effect protect these masterminds who are housed in a government facility, isn't it? This is why the PNP must continue investigating, and we at Senate must seek the explanation of the Bureau of Corrections. This must stop."
Lapid was shot to death last October 3 in Las Piñas City. Estorial, the self-confessed gunman, was presented by Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos and the Philippine National Police in a press conference Tuesday morning, where Estorial himself admitted to having three other accomplices in the murder who have not yet been caught.
According to the PNP manual, a case is considered "solved and closed" when the following elements concur:
- the offender has been identified;
- there is sufficient evidence to charge him;
- the offender has been taken into custody;
- and the offender has been charged before the prosecutor's office or court of appropriate jurisdiction.”
Revilla said the case cannot be considered solved because Estorial’s cohorts are still at large, and the mastermind has yet to be identified. He also called for urgency over Estorial's confession that the order to kill Lapid came from inside Bilibid.
Bureau of Corrections spokesperson Gabriel Chaclag told reporters in a text message that its leadership already asked the National Bilibid Prison's Superintendent to investigate the alleged connection of the gunman with an unidentified inmate and "submit a report within today."
"Rest assured that BuCor is one with you in our collective quest for truth. Our policies in the NBP are all aimed at preventing convicted criminals from further being able to inflict harm on our free society. It is wrong in all senses that a prisoner can still be able to communicate with his cohorts to perform criminal acts outside," he said.
In the wake of Estorial's confession, Rep. Bernadette Herrera (Bagong Henerasyon Party-list) urged Congress to look into the legislation of a new Criminal Code of the Philippines to replace what she said was "the largely Spanish-era" Revised Penal Code.
"From a legislative perspective, I consider relevant to this Percy Lapid case and other criminal cases, including hazing murder cases, that Congress take a look at how the government conducts its criminal investigations," she said.
"It is time to bring forward into the 21st Century our antiquated Spanish-era criminal justice legal orientation. I am open to sponsoring the DOJ-proposed Philippine Code of Crimes."
House Speaker Martin Romualdez lauded the DILG and the PNP for the arrest in a separate statement. The House of Representatives earlier raised P5 million as a reward for any information that will lead to the arrest of the perpetrators of the crime against Lapid.
"We hope that this arrest leads to the apprehension of the other suspects in the gruesome murder of Lapid and the resolution of the case," Romualdez said. “The protection of members of the Fourth Estate is of paramount importance as they play a vital role in nation-building."
— with reports from Xave Gregorio and Kristine Joy Patag