The Murder of Percy Lapid

Percival Mabasa, widely known on air as Percy Lapid, was a Filipino radio commentator known for criticism of public officials and commentary on corruption and government conduct. On October 3, 2022, he was shot in Las Piñas while driving toward his broadcast work. The killing quickly became a major press-freedom and criminal-investigation case.

The shooting and early investigation

Lapid was killed on October 3, 2022. Investigators soon identified Joel Escorial as the gunman. Escorial surrendered and admitted taking part in the attack, telling authorities that he had been paid to kill the broadcaster.

The investigation widened beyond the shooter. Prosecutors later filed murder charges against former Bureau of Corrections chief Gerald Bantag, former deputy security officer Ricardo Zulueta and others, alleging a chain of orders behind the killing. Those accusations are serious, but they are not equivalent to convictions.

The separate death of Jun Villamor

The Lapid investigation became intertwined with the death of inmate Jun Villamor, who authorities described as a middleman in the alleged murder plot. Prosecutors pursued separate but related cases arising from Villamor's death and the Lapid killing.

This dossier does not merge Villamor's death into a second “Percy Lapid case” for counting purposes. It is discussed only because investigators and prosecutors treated the alleged command structure as connected.

Gunman convicted

In May 2024, a Las Piñas court sentenced Joel Escorial after he pleaded guilty as an accomplice to murder. The sentence ranged from eight years and eight months to 16 years. His conviction establishes his criminal responsibility, but it did not resolve every alleged level of the plot.

Alleged mastermind remains untried

Bantag has denied wrongdoing. Arrest warrants were issued, but he remained at large for years. In 2025, the court handling the Lapid murder case archived the proceedings involving absent defendants, with the case to be revived when a fugitive accused is arrested or surrenders.

As of 2026, Philippine authorities were still publicly searching for Bantag. Government officials said tracker teams were pursuing him, and an Interpol Red Notice was reported in May 2026. A Red Notice is an international request to locate and provisionally arrest a wanted person; it is not itself a conviction or proof of guilt.

Why the archive status is partial

One participant has been convicted, but the alleged command responsibility has not been fully adjudicated. Gerald Bantag remains an accused fugitive, not a convicted mastermind. For that reason, Crime by Region classifies the case as Unsolved / Partial rather than fully solved.

Timeline

1. October 3, 2022
   Percy Lapid is killed

   The broadcaster is shot in Las Piñas while traveling toward his program.

2. October 2022
   Joel Escorial surrenders

   The gunman admits participation and investigators expand the inquiry to an alleged chain of organizers.

3. 2023
   Murder charges filed

   Prosecutors charge Gerald Bantag and other defendants in relation to Lapid's killing and the related death of Jun Villamor.

4. May 2024
   Escorial sentenced

   A Las Piñas court convicts him as an accomplice to murder and imposes a prison term of up to 16 years.

5. June 2025
   Case archived as to absent accused

   Proceedings stall while key accused remain unavailable to the court.

6. 2026
   Manhunt continues

   Authorities continue searching for Bantag, who remains accused and untried in the Lapid murder case.