ONE of the primary suspects in the killing of radio broadcaster Percival "Percy Lapid" Mabasa killed himself while policemen were serving his arrest warrant on Sunday, August 11, 2024.
In a radio interview, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Chief Major General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said police went to the hideout of Orlando “Orly” Almanor in Lipa City in Batangas for the service of arrest warrant for murder.
He said Almanor refused to cooperate, holding his live-in partner and child hostage.
"Hindi sya sumuko. In fact, hinostage nya ang kanyang live-in partner at kanyang maliit na bata, anak nya yun. Nakipag negotiate tayo hanggang umabot ng alas kwatro ng madaling araw nung pinatawag natin ang baragay kapitan kasi hinihingi at the same time ‘yung mga pinsan or ‘yung kamag-anak n’ya dun, pumunta naman dun at nag-negotiate, resulting in release nung kanyang live-in partner at saka ‘yung bata," he said.
(He didn't give up. In fact, he took his live-in partner and his little child hostage. We negotiated until 4 a.m. when we called the baragay captain because he asked for his cousins or his relatives, who also went there and negotiated, resulting in release of his live-in partner and the child.)
Nartatez said after releasing the hostages, the suspect shot himself in front of the police negotiators.
Almanor was among those who planned and carried out the execution of Lapid on the evening of October 3, 2022 in Las Piñas, City.
Joel Escorial, the self-confessed gunman, surrendered days after the killing. He was sentenced to a maximum of 16 years of imprisonment.
He tagged several individuals involved in Lapid’s murder, including Jun Villamor, a Person Deprived of Liberty (PDL) at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP).
Villamor was found lifeless inside his cell hours after Escorial surrendered to the police.
Tagged as the brains behind the killing of Lapid, as well as of Villamor were former Bureau of Corrections (Bucor) chief Gerald Bantag and former Bucor Deputy Security Officer Ricardo Zulueta.
Zulueta died due to heart failure in March.
A P2 million reward is being offered for the arrest of Bantag. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)