JUSTICE Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla on Friday said efforts have been intensified for the arrest of former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) director general Gerald Bantag who sent surrender feelers more than a month ago.
Bantag has not turned himself in despite warrants of arrest issued by two regional trial courts against him in connection with two separate murder cases.
The former BuCor chief was charged for the killing of radio broadcaster Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa on Oct. 3, 2022 and Cristito Villamor Palana, an inmate at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City on Oct. 18, 2023.
Palana was tagged by self-confessed gunman Joel Escorial as a middleman in the killing of Lapid.
On Friday, Remulla said “Bantag has been spotted in the North.”
“Actually, we have not stopped anybody from arresting him. We are just saying there are surrender feelers,” Remulla stressed.
According to him, the two murder cases against Bantag and his co-accused are set to go on trial before the two Regional Trial Courts; one in Las Pinas City in the Percy Lapid case another in Muntinlupa City in the Palana’s case.
“It was reported to me that the pre-trial was done yesterday, June 1,” Remulla said.
Bantag sent surrender feelers to Remulla’s colleague in the Cabinet and a close friend in the law enforcement agency.
However, the communication line went cold and nothing was heard about Bantag since then, Remulla said.