A regional trial court in Las Piñas City this week convicted a fourth New Bilibid Prison inmate as an accessory in the Oct. 3, 2022 killing of radio broadcaster Percival Mabasa, commonly known as Percy Lapid.
Denver Mayores, who pleaded to the lesser offense, was given an additional jail term of two to eight years by Judge Harold Hulinganga.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) said the judge acknowledged “Mayores’ conspiracy with former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Gerald Bantag and deputy security officer Ricardo Zulueta in the murder of Lapid.”
The DOJ said “the conviction of Mayores, who initially faced a murder complaint as a principal by indispensable cooperation, underscores the complex web of involvement in Lapid’s assassination.”
Earlier, three inmates at the state prison—Aldrin Galicia, Alvin Labra and Alfie Peñaredonda–were convicted as accessories in the Lapid killing, and were also convicted of murder for killing their fellow inmate, Cristito Villamore Palana, also known as Jun Villamor, tagged as one of the middlemen in the Lapid murder.
“This series of convictions marks a critical point in the DOJ’s pursuit of justice in the high-profile murders of Lapid and Villamor,” the DOJ said in a statement.
“The department remains committed to upholding the rule of law and ensuring a thorough and fair legal process in these cases,” it said.
The DOJ also said it is “closely observing the on-going legal proceedings, including the case against Joel Escorial, the alleged gunman.”
“Escorial is seeking to reduce his sentence and be transferred to the Abuyog prison in Leyte before making his plea, with his case expected to be promulgated in February 2024,” the DOJ said.
“DOJ prosecutors are currently evaluating the potential impact of reducing Escorial’s charges from murder to homicide,” it added.
Mabasa was gunned down in Las Piñas City on Oct. 3, 2022. Fifteen days later, on Oct. 18, Palana died at the NBP due to suffocation.
Both Bantag and Zulueta remain at large despite warrants of arrest issued by both the Las Piñas and Muntinlupa courts.
