Interpol red notice out vs Gerald Bantag – Remulla
MANILA, Philippines — An International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) red notice has been issued against former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Gerald Bantag, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said on Monday.
“For the information of the [every]body, there is already a red notice against Bantag,” Remulla said in a press conference in Valenzuela City.
An Interpol red notice is a request to all law enforcement agencies worldwide to “locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action.”
READ: Where is Bantag?
To recall, Bantag is wanted over his alleged involvement in the killings of radioman Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa and Cristito “Jun Villamor” Palaña, the alleged middleman of Lapid’s killing.
Lapid, who had repeatedly criticized Bantag in his online radio show, was ambushed and killed near his neighborhood in Las Piñas City on October 3, 2022. His death sparked widespread condemnation and a high-profile investigation.
On Oct. 17, 2022, confessed gunman Joel Escorial surrendered to the authorities and said at a press conference on the following day that Palaña, an inmate at New Bilibid Prison (NBP), contracted him to kill Mabasa for P550,000.
READ: Bantag faces grave coercion case for alleged prison shooting cover up
Just hours after the press conference at the Philippine National Police headquarters, Palaña was found dead at NBP.
A P2-million reward will be given for information leading to Bantag’s arrest, according to the Department of Justice. He is reportedly spotted in the Cordillera Administrative Region.
Red notice for Dumlao
Remulla also said a red notice has been issued against Rafael Dumlao III, a former police officer from the defunct Philippine National Police–Anti-Illegal Drugs Group.
Dumlao was tagged as the alleged mastermind in the death of South Korean businessman Jee Ick Joo.
READ: Court of Appeals reverses Dumlao’s acquittal in Jee Ick Joo case
Jee was abducted from his house in Pampanga, together with his house helper, Marisa Dawis Morquicho, in 2016. Morquicho was released a day after her abduction, while Jee was taken to Camp Crame, where he was strangled to death.
The Angeles City Regional Trial Court Branch 60 acquitted Dumlao, but the Court of Appeals has since reversed the ruling.
Remulla challenges police
Remulla criticized the PNP personnel for their failure to arrest Bantag, Dumlao, and tycoon Atong Ang, who was also the subject of a red notice.
Remulla said he did not mince words during the PNP command conference on Sunday.
“I told them, there were 200,000 of you, and there are only three of them, and you still could not find them,” he said in Filipino, referring to the number of police personnel nationwide.
“So I challenged all of them to harness all of these 200,000 to find these three people,” he added. /dl/mcm
