MANILA – The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has been tasked to investigate the death of former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) deputy security officer Ricardo S. Zulueta, one of the suspects in the ambush of radio commentator Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa.
According to Department of Justice secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, he ordered the NBI to probe the reported death of Zulueta based on a “circulating death certificate” online.
“Exert greater efforts, act swiftly, delve deeply and uncover the truth by all means possible. This calls for action the soonest possible time,” stated Remulla’s order to NBI.
“We are still looking into the veracity of these reports and will update the public as soon as we receive word from the NBI,” Remulla added, pertaining to the supposed death certificate of Zulueta.
Zulueta, according to the Philippine National Police, was rushed to the Bataan Peninsula Medical Center at around 10 p.m. on Friday after complaining for chest pain. He was later declared dead by the hospital.
In a report by the TV Patrol Weekend on Saturday night, based on the death certificate that they obtained, Zulueta died due to “cerebrovascular disease intracranial hemorrhage.”
Roy Mabasa, brother of Lapid, said in a social media post on Saturday night that “an independent autopsy report would assuage the public that we are indeed after the truth.”
“We would like the PNP (Philippine National Police) to ascertain the real cause of his death since he was originally tagged as one of the masterminds in the killing of @lapidfire,” Mabasa wrote on his X account.
Zulueta, along with former Bureau of Corrections chief Gerald Bantag and 10 persons deprived of liberty (PDL), are facing murder cases over the deaths of Lapid and Jun Villamor, the alleged middleman in the Lapid case.
Lapid was shot dead near his residence in Las Piñas City on the night of October 3, 2022, while Villamor was killed inside the New Bilibid Prison shortly after self-confessed gunman Joel Escorial surrendered./PN
