May Lead na! Bantag, Posibleng Malapit Nang Maaresto - PNP Chief Nicolas Torre
MANILA, Philippines – The hunt for former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director General Gerald Bantag, who has been wanted for murder for two years, is intensifying. Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief General Nicolas Torre III revealed in a DZMM interview that authorities now have promising leads regarding Bantag's whereabouts and that intelligence operations are ongoing to apprehend him.
"We have leads regarding that matter, where he is hiding, and we are deploying resources to locate and arrest him," Torre stated, emphasizing the PNP's commitment to capturing the high-profile fugitive.
Bantag is accused of being the mastermind behind the murder of journalist Percival Mabasa, widely known as Percy Lapid. Lapid was gunned down in Las Piñas after his commentaries exposed alleged corruption within the New Bilibid Prison under Bantag's leadership.
Beyond Bantag, Torre affirmed the PNP's relentless pursuit of other prominent fugitives. These include former Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, who faces a qualified human trafficking case, and former Police Lieutenant Colonel Rafael Dumlao III, who was convicted as the mastermind in the 2016 kidnapping and murder of a South Korean businessman.
Torre highlighted the PNP's approach to high-profile cases, stating, "You can see what we do in high-profile cases. We really use intelligence, and if there's resistance, we truly use force so they can't retaliate. That way, we can easily catch them and send them where they belong."
The PNP Chief's tenure has already seen significant arrests, including that of religious leader Apollo Quiboloy, and the serving of an arrest warrant for former President Rodrigo Duterte. Torre defended the arrest of Duterte against criticism, particularly from Senator Imee Marcos during a Senate hearing.
"Until now, I really will insist that we did everything by the book. We did everything within the ambit of the law," Torre asserted. He dismissed criticisms from the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, stating that the committee chairman's findings were mere opinions, not a judicial ruling. He further added that Duterte was treated properly during his arrest.
Torre, who previously served for eight months as chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), noted that progress in tracking down fugitives had already begun during his time leading the PNP's investigation arm. He vowed that these efforts would continue under his leadership as the national police chief.
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