THE Department of Justice (DOJ) has indicted former Bureau of Corrections (Bucor) director Gerald Bantag and ex-BuCor deputy officer Ricardo Zulueta over the alleged torture of two Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs) at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP).
In a statement, the DOJ said it has found probable cause to indict Bantag for two counts of physical and psychological torture and two counts of serious physical injuries.
Zulueta was indicted for serving as an accessory to the alleged crimes. Charges were filed before the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court.
The charges stemmed from the complaints of Ronald Usman and Jonathan Cañeta who said the mauling happened on February 1, 2022 inside Bantag’s office.
Usman said Bantag stabbed him in the left thigh while Cañeta in his right hand which caused paralyzation in his middle finger.
The DOJ said there were witnesses who confirmed the incident.
BuCor also filed an administrative complaint against Bantag and Zulueta for grave misconduct.
Batnag and Zulueta have a standing arrest warrant over their alleged involvement in the killing of veteran broadcast journalist Percy Lapid and New Bilibid Prison (NBP) inmate, Jun Villamor, who was tagged as the middleman in the said murder case. (SunStar Philippines)