Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 27) — The Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court has issued a hold departure order (HDO) on former Bureau of Corrections chief Gerald Bantag and former deputy security officer Ricardo Zulueta.
The two have been tagged in the murders of veteran journalist Percy Lapid and Jun Villamor, an alleged middleman in the radio anchor’s killing.
The order will prevent them from leaving the country.
\”To reiterate, the issuance of the hold departure order is for the court to maintain the effectiveness of its jurisdiction over the person of the accused in this case,\” the HDO dated April 25 read.
\”In order not to frustrate the ends of justice, it is imperative that a hold departure order be issued to prevent accused from leaving the country during the pendency of the instant case,\” it added.
The Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group earlier launched a manhunt against Bantag and Zulueta following the issuance of arrest warrants by the Muntinlupa City court and another in Las Piñas.
