Fact check: Suspended prison chief Bantag replaced and charged with Lapid’s murder to make way for former Senator Leila de Lima’s release from prison
The video begins with a slow motion clip of De Lima saying that “she will be released soon” and the news about the suspended Bureau of Corrections Dir. Gerald Bantag being implicated in the murder of famous broadcaster Percy Lapid.
Claim: Suspended prison chief Bantag replaced and charged with Lapid’s murder to make way for former Senator Leila de Lima’s release from prison
Rating: FALSE
Facts: A YouTube video was uploaded the 2nd week of November by Redmart uploader Trix TV about former Senator Leila De Lima who is currently imprisoned at Camp Crame.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrSYx__VRxo
The video begins with a slow motion clip of De Lima saying that “she will be released soon” and the news about the suspended Bureau of Corrections Dir. Gerald Bantag being implicated in the murder of famous broadcaster Percy Lapid.
The video first showed select remarks about De Lima’s quote, all saying she deserved to be jailed.
Next, Redmark Trix TV stated that suspending and issuing an arrest warrant to Bantag for Lapid’s murder is the next process in De Lima’s release.
The YouTube creator even made the incredible accusation that Bantag’s banishment is a Dilawans plot.
This is incredulously false.
In fact, De Lima was even recently defending Bantag against the charges against him.
She said Bantag is too young to be the “Tanda” which is the nickname of the other co-defendant in Lapid’s murder of the alleged murder mastermind.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1691425/de-lima-not-convinced-bantag-is-slay-brains-tanda
She also called for the protection of her life; though De Lima also admitted Bantag’s suspension was the right move for the inside-jail killing of the alleged “intermediary” in Lapid’s murder.
But Bantag’s suspension will not mean De Lima will be released from prison.
It was not Bantag but his predecessor, Rafael Rigos, who implicated De Lima in the Bilibid drug trade in 2016 because he feared for his safety.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1689566/fear-led-ex-bucor-chief-to-tag-leila
Redmark Trix TV’s allegation that Bantag’s suspension is a scheme by Dilawan, as it meant loyal friends of Marcos like Justice Sec. Jesus Crispin Remulla and Interior Dry. Benhur Abalos, among others, are currently “Dilawan”.
Why we checked this: This pesky YouTube video isn’t isolated. Others utter the same allegation of a Dilawan scheme behind the Bantag incident.
The Dilawans are virtually written off by the Duterte and Marcos governments. This decision attempts to distract us from media silence and also from investigating the real mastermind behind Lapid’s murder.
This piece is republished with permission from the Baguio Chronicle.
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