Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 20) — An alleged middleman in the plot to murder veteran broadcaster Percy Lapid died this week at the New Bilibid Prison, Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla said Thursday.
In a chance interview with reporters, Remulla said the 42-year-old inmate died at the prison hospital on Oct. 18. He immediately ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to conduct an autopsy.
"Nakita namin na totoo nga, namatay, may namatay na tao [The fact is that someone died]. So immediately it's the NBI, and the autopsy that's very important," said Remulla.
Remulla added that an independent autopsy would be welcome.
"We will open it to other medico legal experts to find out," he said.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) chief also said that he was looking into the inmate's criminal record.
Joel Escorial, the alleged gunman in the murder of Lapid last Oct. 3, surrendered to authorities on Tuesday and claimed that instructions to kill the broadcaster came from someone inside a jail facility.
Southern Police District director Brig. Gen. Kirby John Kraft said the inmate who died was different from the "middleman" whom Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos earlier mentioned as inside a jail facility of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).
"Dalawa yung middleman na kumontak sa kanila. Yung isa nga po nandidito po sa BJMP, so sinecure natin 'yan. Kaya nga po nagkakaroon ng autopsy para malaman po kung ano ang tunay na nangyari sa isa," said Kraft in a press briefing.
[Translation: Two middlemen contacted them. One of them is under the custody of the BJMP, and we already secured that person. They are conducting an autopsy to know what really happened to the other one.]
For his part, Abalos said the authorities will make sure that someone will be held accountable if there's foul play involved in the inmate's death.
"Once talagang mayroong foul play dito, talagang galit na galit kami. We are demanding, kung mangyari man 'yun, managot ang dapat mananagot," he said in a press briefing.
[Translation: We are really mad. If there's foul play, we will make sure that the guilty is held accountable.]
He added that they will double their efforts to gather more evidence to find the mastermind behind the journalist's murder.
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In a chance interview with reporters, Remulla said the 42-year-old inmate died at the prison hospital on Oct. 18. He immediately ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to conduct an autopsy.
"Nakita namin na totoo nga, namatay, may namatay na tao [The fact is that someone died]. So immediately it's the NBI, and the autopsy that's very important," said Remulla.
Remulla added that an independent autopsy would be welcome.
"We will open it to other medico legal experts to find out," he said.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) chief also said that he was looking into the inmate's criminal record.
Joel Escorial, the alleged gunman in the murder of Lapid last Oct. 3, surrendered to authorities on Tuesday and claimed that instructions to kill the broadcaster came from someone inside a jail facility.
Southern Police District director Brig. Gen. Kirby John Kraft said the inmate who died was different from the "middleman" whom Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos earlier mentioned as inside a jail facility of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).
"Dalawa yung middleman na kumontak sa kanila. Yung isa nga po nandidito po sa BJMP, so sinecure natin 'yan. Kaya nga po nagkakaroon ng autopsy para malaman po kung ano ang tunay na nangyari sa isa," said Kraft in a press briefing.
[Translation: Two middlemen contacted them. One of them is under the custody of the BJMP, and we already secured that person. They are conducting an autopsy to know what really happened to the other one.]
For his part, Abalos said the authorities will make sure that someone will be held accountable if there's foul play involved in the inmate's death.
"Once talagang mayroong foul play dito, talagang galit na galit kami. We are demanding, kung mangyari man 'yun, managot ang dapat mananagot," he said in a press briefing.
[Translation: We are really mad. If there's foul play, we will make sure that the guilty is held accountable.]
He added that they will double their efforts to gather more evidence to find the mastermind behind the journalist's murder.
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