THE MURDER of radio commentator Percy Lapid highlights the mundanity of contract killing in the Philippines.
Life may be taken at bargain basement prices – the rates said to go higher depending on the stature or prominence of the target.
The preferred mode of transport is the motorcycle. Aside from the ease it affords in navigating traffic, regulations require the wearing of helmets and face masks – accessories that make it hard for law enforcement to track the identity of suspects.
It had become such a scourge that sometime ago it was proposed that motorcycles be required to bear bigger license plates.
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Police investigation has so far shown two men ridding pillion following Percy Lapid minutes before he was killed in Las Pinas. The motorcycle back-rider fired precise shots when Percy’s car was approaching a guarded village gate, hitting the latter twice in the neck.
The malefactors then made a U-turn and sped away. Percy’s own dashcam recorded his rudderless car bumping the one in front and finally stopping as his life also ended.
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There is no doubt that Percy was a project who was patiently cased before the treacherous shooting. The killers knew his daily route.
Video footage showed the motorcycle driver waiting patiently for Percy to drive by.
The killers also knew Percy would slow down 50 meters before the village gate because incoming vehicles were being inspected by security guards. The terrain was so familiar that the U-turn was made with calculated speed and precision.
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Freshman law students would point out that the gunman committed the crime of murder because of the treacherous manner by which the killing was committed. There was also evident premeditation in that there was planning and execution of the offense.
The gunman is the principal by direct participation. He was the one who materially executed the offense.
The motorcycle driver is the principal by indispensable cooperation without whom the crime would not have come to fruition.
The remaining question is this: who is the principal by inducement, i.e., the one who forced or induced the others to commit the crime? Who is the mastermind?
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As of press time, P6.5 million is on the table for leads to solve the murder.
According to Speaker Martin Romualdez, some members of the House of Representatives have contributed P5 million in their personal capacity for information that will lead to the arrest of Percy’s murderers. That will be on top of the P1.5 million that was pledged by Secretary Benhur Abalos and Percy’s friends.
As expressed by Abalos himself, time is of the essence because the mastermind is most likely planning the silencing or murder of the two other principals.
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Law enforcement and prosecution are two important pillars of the criminal justice system.
Before our courts can act on criminal cases the police must first investigate and file the appropriate charges against the perpetrators.
We might have a working judicial system, but it is useless without the executive branch performing its constitutional duty to faithfully execute the laws passed by Congress.
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Ironically, this was among the topics discussed by Percy Lapid before he was felled by the assassin’s bullets.
He supported the investigation into the drug war killings by the International Criminal Court because domestic authorities have not shown that it is willing and able to prosecute these cases.
May justice be served in Percy’s case. May the public not be lulled into apathy. May this spark our collective sense of justice in memory of the thousands who were killed by masked gunmen to quench the bloodthirst of the lord of Hades./PN
