Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin ‘Benhur’ Abalos Jr. appealed to the public on Friday, Oct. 7, to provide information on the identity of the ‘person of interest’ in the killing of broadcaster Percival Mabasa, also known as Percy Lapid, after his image was captured in a closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage.

With the current P1.5 million cash reward, Abalos pleaded to the public to immediately confer with the Philippine National Police (PNP) if they have knowledge of the identity and whereabouts of Lapid’s killers.

Abalos presented a blown-up photo of the ‘person of interest’ in the Percy Lapid slay as shown in a CCTV footage when the government official made an emotional public appeal.

“Napakaimportante nito. Importanteng maidentify natin ang taong ito. Ito po siya, pinalaki natin ito. Kitang kita ang larawn niya, ang itsura niya at alam naman ninyo na tayo ay nagbigay ng reward P500,000, galing sa akin at P1 million galing kay Alex Lopez (son of former Manila mayor Mel Lopez) at marami pang gustong tumulong (This is really very important. It is important to identify this person. This is him, we had his image blown-up. We can really see his picture, his features and you knew that I gave a P500,000 reward from my own pocket in addition to the P1 million given by Alex Lopez and many more wanted to help),’’ Abalos said.

Abalos told the ‘person of interest’ in the CCTV footage to surrender to authorities or risk his safety as the masterminds who hired him has the option to silence him since his image was now already known in public.

“Ang pinakamagandang gawin mo, sumuko ka at pabayaan mo magtake over na ang kapulisan dito at dahil dito inuulit ko, any information on this napakaimportante sa ngayon (The best thing for you to do is surrender and let the police takeover and I am reiterating that any information on this is very important),’’ he added.

The DILG chief noted that the ‘person of interest’ has nowhere to go with the modern technology coupled with the effort of police officers not only in Metro Manila but also other PNP personnel in the country’s nearby regions.

“What I am talking about right now, it’s all regions in the Philippines. Kung saan man magtago ang taong ito nakakalat ito in social media. With the technology, lahat, every record. Hindi pa ‘yun, may NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) ka pa. Even, NBI itself is already investigating (Wherever you hide, the image of this person is now in social media. With this technology, everything, every record, he is in it. Not only that, there is also the NBI. Even the NBI is already investigating),’’ Abalos stated.

With the concerted efforts of the state forces and modern technology at hand, Abalos pointed out that the other ‘ingredient’ necessary to resolve the Precy Lapid murder case is the public’s support.

Also known as Percival Mabasa, Lapid was gunned down in front of a subdivision gate in Las Piñas City on Monday, Oct. 3.

On Wednesday night, Oct. 5, Abalos visited Lapid’s wake and assured his bereaved family members that the government will use all of its resources to identify the assailants behind the ambush.

He also said that the PNP is extensively looking at all possible angles and leads to identify the perpetrators, specifically the mastermind behind the killing.

Source:
courtesy of MANILA BULLETIN

by Chito Chavez

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