BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – A former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) official tagged in the assassination of broadcaster Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa had died, local police confirmed.
Former BuCor superintendent Ricardo Zulueta, 42, died due to heart failure at around 11 pm on Friday, March 15, according to a report by the Bataan provincial police. Zulueta died at the Bataan Peninsula Medical Center in Dinalupihan town, where he was brought by his brother.
His body was later brought to Barangay Mabiga in Hermosa town, the police added.
Journalist Roy Mabasa, Lapid’s brother, urged the Philippine National Police (PNP) to determine the facts surrounding the suspect’s death.
“As much as possible, we would like the PNP to ascertain the real cause of his death since he was originally tagged as one of the masterminds in the killing of Percy Lapid. Getting an independent autopsy report would assuage the public that we are indeed after the truth,” Mabasa said.
Zulueta, who was once part of the BuCor’s directorate for security and operations, was implicated in the killing of Lapid in late 2022, along with his former boss, former BuCor chief Gerald Bantag, and a couple of persons deprived of liberty (PDL). Lapid was killed in Las Piñas City in October 2022 – the second journalist to be killed under the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The broadcaster’s killing renewed scrutiny of the Philippine jail system, particularly on how and why PDLs are being implicated in crimes. – Rappler.com