Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 29) — The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) filed a murder complaint against former Bureau of Corrections chief Gerald Bantag and six others over the death of an inmate, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said in a news briefing on Tuesday.
The inmate, Hegel Samson, was pronounced dead on November 7, 2020 at the National Bilibid Prison hospital.The NBI conducted the autopsy and concluded that Samson died of heart attack “which may be aggravated or hastened by asphyxiation.”Four inmates confessed to their participation, admitting that they placed a plastic bag over Samson’s head. One of the inmates claimed that Bantag asked him about a certain “Leon Bilibid” who was critical of him. Bantag allegedly instructed him to “eliminate” anyone associated with “Leon Bilibid.”Samson supposedly criticized Bantag on social media for permitting contraband items, including alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, cellphones, and guns inside the National Bilibid Prison.
“Ito yung may lumalabas sa socmed Leon Bilibid describing the mysterious happenings inside Bilibid kaya may nagalit sa kanya. Death by plastic, parang nangyari rin sa ating isang middleman noong araw na ating inimbestigahan sa Percy Lapid case,” Remulla said.
[Translation: A certain Leon Bilibid appeared on social media describing mysterious happenings inside Bilibid so some people got mad. What happened is death by plastic, like what happened to one middleman that we investigated in the Percy Lapid case.]Bantag is also charged for the murder of radio broadcaster Percy Lapid and alleged middleman Jun Villamor.
