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On October 3, 2022, Percy Lapid, a radio journalist and radio broadcaster, was shot dead while on his way home in
Las Piñas Las Piñas, officially the City of Las Piñas ( fil, Lungsod ng Las Piñas), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 606,293 people. Las Piñas ...
,
Metro Manila Metropolitan Manila (often shortened as Metro Manila; fil, Kalakhang Maynila), officially the National Capital Region (NCR; fil, link=no, Pambansang Punong Rehiyon), is the seat of government and one of three defined metropolitan areas in ...
, Philippines.


Percy Lapid

Percival Carag Mabasa (March 14, 1959 – October 3, 2022), known professionally as Percy Lapid (), was a Filipino journalist and radio broadcaster. He was a critic of President Bongbong Marcos and his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte. He hosted the radio program ''Lapid Fire'' on
DWBL DWBL (1242 AM) is a radio station owned and operated by FBS Radio Network in the Philippines. The station's studio is located at Unit 908, Paragon Plaza, EDSA cor. Reliance Street, Mandaluyong, while its transmitter is located along Coloong 1 ...
, where he tackled cases of corruption. He disclosed irregularities regarding the
Sugar Regulatory Administration The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA; Filipino: ''Pangasiwaan sa Regulasyon ng Asukal''; Hiligaynon: ''Administrasyon sa Regulasyon sang Kalamay'') is a government-owned and controlled corporation attached to the Department of Agriculture o ...
's aborted Sugar Order No. 4 amidst a sugar crisis. The scandal faced by the Marcos administration led to the resignation of the executive secretary
Vic Rodriguez Vic (; es, Vic or Pancracio Celdrán (2004). Diccionario de topónimos españoles y sus gentilicios (5ª edición). Madrid: Espasa Calpe. p. 843. ISBN 978-84-670-3054-9. «Vic o Vich (viquense, vigitano, vigatán, ausense, ausetano, ausonense): ...
in September 2022. Lapid was vocal against the dangers of red-tagging, a practice where the government attempts to silence journalists and other dissenters by accusing them of being communists. He was also outspoken against
disinformation Disinformation is false information deliberately spread to deceive people. It is sometimes confused with misinformation, which is false information but is not deliberate. The English word ''disinformation'' comes from the application of the L ...
and the government's war on drugs. Aside from being a DWBL host, Lapid has also been a radio reporter and commentator since 1985 for DWXI, DZME, DWBC,
DZRM DZRM (1278 AM) is a radio station owned and operated by the Philippine Broadcasting Service. The station's studios and offices are Located at the 4th Floor, PIA/Media Center Building, Visayas Ave., Brgy. Vasra, Diliman, Quezon City, and its tr ...
, DWIZ, and DZRJ and a columnist for the tabloid ''Hataw''.


Killing

Percy Lapid was killed on October 3, 2022, at around 8:30 pm (
UTC+8 UTC+08:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +08:00. With an estimated population of 1.708 billion living within the time zone, roughly 24% of the world population, it is the most populous time zone in the world, as well as a ...
) while he was driving on his way home to BF Resort Village, a gated community in
Las Piñas Las Piñas, officially the City of Las Piñas ( fil, Lungsod ng Las Piñas), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 606,293 people. Las Piñas ...
. There was a traffic buildup at the subdivision's gate near Aria Street in Barangay Talon 2 due to the routine inspection of all vehicles for a sticker required for entry into the subdivision. A motorcycle with two people on board approached Lapid's vehicle in the queue, and the gunman from this motorcycle fired two shots at Lapid, killing Lapid instantly. Lapid's vehicle was about from the gate when the incident occurred. Lapid was the third journalist in the Philippines to be killed in 2022, according to data from
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
, and the second during the
presidency of Bongbong Marcos The presidency of Bongbong Marcos began at noon on June 30, 2022, following his inauguration as the 17th president of the Philippines, succeeding Rodrigo Duterte. His term is expected to end six years later, on June 30, 2028. Bongbong Ma ...
, according to the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines.


Perpetrators

Two motorcycle-riding men were seen being involved in Lapid's killing. The police identified one "person-of-interest", a man wearing a pink jacket who was walking near the Las Piñas City Hall, about five minutes away from Lapid's home.
Department of the Interior and Local Government The Department of the Interior and Local Government ( fil, Kagawaran ng Interyor at Pamahalaang Lokal), abbreviated as DILG, is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for promoting peace and order, ensuring public saf ...
Secretary Benhur Abalos believed the killer to be a professional gunman. Joel Escorial surrendered to the authorities on October 17, 2022, and confessed to being the gunman in Lapid's killing. He implicated brothers Edmon and Israel Dimaculangan as his partners in crime, and stated that they received orders from an individual named "Orlando" or "Orly", who in turn answered to another person detained inside the
New Bilibid Prison The New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa, Metro Manila is the main insular prison designed to house the prison population of the Philippines. It is maintained by the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) under the Department of Justice. As of Octo ...
, later identified as Jun Villamor. Christopher Bacoto, also known as Jerry Sandoval, has been alleged as another middleman who tasked Escorial, the Dimaculangan brothers, and "Orly", with the killing of Lapid. The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) would file charges against several people in connection with Lapid's death, including
Bureau of Corrections The Bureau of Corrections ( fil, Kawanihan ng mga Bilangguan, literally "Bureau of Prisons", which was the name of the agency from 1905 to 1989; abbreviated BuCor) is an agency of the Department of Justice (Philippines), Department of Justice w ...
Director General Gerald Bantag who was formally charged with murder. Bantag maintained innocence and alleges that drug lord German Agojo was responsible for the killing.


Investigation

The Philippine National Police (PNP) and the
Commission on Human Rights A human rights commission, also known as a human relations commission, is a body set up to investigate, promote or protect human rights. The term may refer to international, national or subnational bodies set up for this purpose, such as nationa ...
opened investigations into the killing. The PNP reviewed CCTV cameras along the known route taken by Lapid, the dashcam on the victim's vehicle, and Lapid's cellphone, and interviewed the victim's family. The PNP's
National Capital Region Police Office The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) is a division of the Philippine National Police (PNP) that has jurisdiction over Metro Manila, also known as the National Capital Region. It is headquartered in Camp Bagong Diwa. History As PC ...
stated that they did not find any evidence on Lapid's cellphone and that Lapid's family was not aware of any threats to the journalist's life. The police did not determine a motive for the killing. Joel Escorial surrendered to authorities on October 17, 2022, and confessed to being the gunman in Percy Lapid's killing. He named Jun Villamor as his contact inside the New Bilibid Prison. Villamor would die on October 18. The Bureau of Corrections' initial investigation concluded that Villamor died of natural causes and not as a result of foul play. The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) also conducted an autopsy and found no signs of external injury on Villamor's body. This was, however, contradicted by the findings of a second autopsy conducted by a forensic pathologist Raquel Fortun, who concluded that Villamor died of suffocation from a plastic bag. President Marcos ordered Justice secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla to place Bureau of Corrections Director General Gerald Bantag under preventive suspension for 90 days pending investigation on his role in the killing. The NBI established from sworn statements from certain "persons deprived of liberty" (PDLs) that there was a clear direct line of communication between Bantag and deputy security officer Ricardo Zulueta and Escorial through middlemen which included Alvin Labra and gang leader Aldrin Galicia. Bantag's being the subject of criticisms by Lapid on his radio program ''Lapid Fire'' was cited as a possible motivation for the killing.


Reactions


Initial reaction

Lapid's killing received condemnation both domestically and internationally and from foreign governments and media organizations. Media watchdogs and human rights organizations noted how the Philippines is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists. According to the
Committee to Protect Journalists The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is an American independent non-profit, non-governmental organization, based in New York City, New York, with correspondents around the world. CPJ promotes press freedom and defends the rights of journ ...
' Global Impunity Index, 85 journalists have been killed in the Philippines from 1992 to 2021, making the Philippines the seventh worst country in the world in terms of number of journalists murdered and where most of their killers go unpunished. The killing has been considered an attack on press freedom by some observers, such as former Vice President
Leni Robredo Maria Leonor "Leni" Gerona Robredo (; born Maria Leonor Santo Tomas Gerona; April 23, 1965) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 14th vice president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. She was the wife of the late Jesse ...
and lawmakers Risa Hontiveros, Robin Padilla,
France Castro Francisca L. Castro (born 1966) is a Filipino educator, trade union activist, and politician. She is a member of the Philippine House of Representatives under the Alliance of Concerned Teachers party-list. In Congress, she is among the principa ...
, and
Neri Colmenares Neri Javier Colmenares (, born December 4, 1959) is a Filipino human rights lawyer and activist. He was an associate of the Asian Law Centre at Melbourne Law School when he was completing his Ph.D. in law on "The Writ of Amparo and the Internat ...
. The killing has also added to the
chilling effect In a legal context, a chilling effect is the inhibition or discouragement of the legitimate exercise of natural and legal rights by the threat of legal sanction. A chilling effect may be caused by legal actions such as the passing of a law, the ...
on media, according to media watchdogs and other observers.
Department of the Interior and Local Government The Department of the Interior and Local Government ( fil, Kagawaran ng Interyor at Pamahalaang Lokal), abbreviated as DILG, is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for promoting peace and order, ensuring public saf ...
Secretary Benhur Abalos offered of his own money to anyone who could provide information that would aid the investigations into the incident. As of October 10, 2022, the cash bounty stood at , with from lawyer, businessman and
Partido Federal ng Pilipinas Partido Federal ng Pilipinas ( en, Federal Party of the Philippines; PFP) is a national political party in the Philippines. It is chaired by Bongbong Marcos, president of the Philippines who won by a landslide in the 2022 election. During the r ...
Manila Chapter chairman Alex Lopez and contributed by members of the
House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
.


Charging of Gerald Bantag

President Bongbong Marcos expressed concern over Gerald Bantag's implication to the case remarking how he established "his own fiefdom" in the prison while he was Bureau of Corrections chief and vowed that investigation on the case will continue. Bantag expressed doubt that Marcos is being provided truthful information regarding the case and urged Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla to step down accusing him of manufacturing the motive for implicating him.


Discography


EP Albums

*''Iwan Mo Na Siya'' (Ivory Records, 1992)


Notes


References

{{Bongbong Marcos 2022 in the Philippines October 2022 events in the Philippines 2022 crimes in the Philippines Assassinated Filipino journalists Deaths by firearm in the Philippines Lapid, Percy; Killing of October 2022 crimes in Asia