BY JOEL CALAMBA ESCOL, Managing Editor
The beleaguered and suspended Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Chief Gerald Bantag is facing additional charges in court, a new Bucor chief announced Wednesday.
BuCor Officer in Charge Gregorio Catapang Jr. told the media that two gang leaders inside the facility have filed their affidavits accusing Bantag of allegedly stabbing them in February, this year.
Catapang identified the two inmates as Jonathan Cañete and Ronald Usman. Cañete is the current leader of ‘Batang Cebu’ gang while Usman is the leader of ‘Batang Mindanao’ gang inside the prion cell in Muntinlupa, it was learned.
“Hopefully we can file the case by Friday here in Muntinlupa where the crime happened,” BuCor Officer in Charge Gregorio Catapang Jr. told the media during an interview.
INMATES ACCUSATION
The two inmates accused the suspended BuCor chief of allegedly stabbing them using his criss sword while Bantag was drunk.
The inmates, according to Catapang, were summoned by General Bantag on February regarding a jail break that happened which resulted to the escape of four prisoners.
Cañete alleged that the suspended general pressed a dagger’s blade in his chest. Since he could no longer bear the pain he grabbed the dagger. Bantag allegedly got angered of what he did and instead stab his thigh.
Usman, another inmate and leader of Batang Mindanao gang, has also filed his sworned affidavit alleging that Bantag also stabbed him on his hand with a samurai.
COVER UP MONEY
The following week, the two inmates narrated that Zulueta, Bantag’s most trusted man inside the prison facility, met with him in his office and allegedly gave them P50,000 each just to keep mum on the incident.
BuCor Deputy Security Officer Ricardo Zulueta told them that if they don’t accept the allege bribe money, they will be having more problems inside the prison facility. Fear for their lives, the inmates accepted it.”
Bantag and Zulueta are facing murder charges in court in the recent killing of hard-hitting radio broadcaster ‘Percy Lapid’.
