Another accused in Percy Lapid slay gets 8 years

MANILA, Philippines —  Another defendant in the killing of radio broadcaster Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa last year has been convicted and sentenced to a maximum of eight years in prison.

In a statement, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said that Las Piñas Regional Trial Court Judge Harold Huliganga slapped Denver Mayores a prison term of two to eight years on Monday, after the defendant pleaded guilty to being an accessory in Mabasa’s murder.

Mayores, detained at the New Bilibid Prison, initially faced a murder complaint as principal by indispensable cooperation.

Earlier, suspects Aldrin Galicia, Alvin Labra and Alfie Peñaredonda were also convicted for Lapid’s murder after pleading guilty as accessories.

Meanwhile, the DOJ said it is also “closely observing” the ongoing legal proceedings involving Joel Escorial – the self-confessed gunman in Lapid’s murder.

“Escorial is seeking to reduce his sentence and be transferred to Abuyog prison in Leyte before making a (guilty) plea,” the DOJ statement read.

The court is set to rule in February 2024, it added.

Lapid, a critic of the Duterte and Marcos Jr. administrations, was shot dead on Oct. 3, 2022.

Days after, Jun Villamor – the alleged middleman in Lapid’s kill contract – died inside Bilibid.

In April this year, a Las Piñas court ordered the arrest of former Bureau of Corrections director Gerald Bantag and deputy Ricardo Zulueta for the deaths of Lapid and Villamor.