THE self-confessed gunman in the killing of radio broadcaster Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa yesterday asked a Las Piñas City court to be allowed to plead guilty to the lesser offense of homicide, instead of murder.
Joel Escorial filed the motion for plea bargain before the sala of Las Piñas RTC Branch 254 Presiding Judge Harold Huliganga through his lawyer, Nikki Garcia, of the Public Attorney’s Office.
“After conferring with the accused-movant and informing him of the right to plea bargain, he consented to plead guilty to the lesser offense of homicide,” Escorial’s motion said.
In a tweet, Lapid’s brother, Roy Mabasa, confirmed Escorial’s motion before Huliganga’s sala.
“Alleged gunman Jose Escorial filed before Las Piñas Judge Harold Huliganga a plea bargain requesting the court to downgrade the murder case to homicide in exchange for his admission. If granted, he faces ‘reclusion temporal’ or up to 20 years in prison,” Mabasa said.
Mabasa, who attended Monday’s hearing at the Las Piñas court, said Escorial also asked the court to allow him to spend his prison term at a Bureau of Corrections facility in Samar, citing security concerns at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City where Lapid’s killing was allegedly hatched.
“Our lawyers are looking at it very closely. Although there is a question of whether he will qualify or not, we will see how it will go. For us, justice is when the mastermind/masterminds are put behind bars,” Mabasa added.
Escorial, along with former BuCor chief Gerald Bantag and Bantag’s deputy, Ricardo Zulueta, is facing murder charges for the killing of Lapid.
Escorial surrendered to authorities days after Lapid was gunned down on October 3, 2022, saying he feared for his safety.
Last month, Bilibid inmates Alvin Galicia, Aldrin Galicia, and Alfie Penaredonda were sentenced by the Las Piñas City court from two to eight years imprisonment as accessories to Lapid’s killing.
Investigators said they talked to another Bilibid inmate, Cristito Palana Villamor, to contact a hit man to kill Lapid allegedly upon the instructions of Bantag and Zulueta.
Villamor allegedly talked to BJMP detainee Christopher Bacoto, who contacted Escorial to do the hit on Lapid.
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla earlier said Villamor was killed to prevent him from spilling the beans on the mastermind in the broadcaster’s killing.
