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Percy Lapid murder case 'far from solved', says Drilon, a former DOJ chief

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<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Radio commentator Percy Lapid during his radio program Lapid Fire at DWBL 1242 AM Radio on Oct. 2, 2022. Lapid Fire, screenshot" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/news/10/24/20221004-percy-lapid-dwib1.jpg"/><figcaption>Radio commentator Percy Lapid during his radio program Lapid Fire at DWBL 1242 AM Radio on Oct. 2, 2022. Lapid Fire, screenshot</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA — The murder of Percival &quot;Percy Lapid&quot; Mabasa is far from being solved, former senator and Justice Secretary Franklin Drilon said Monday, contradicting the police&#x27;s claim on the radio broadcaster&#x27;s case.According to Drilon, the prosecution of the case is standing on thin ice.&quot;First of all, let me commend the Philippine National Police for continuously investigating this case. It&#x27;s far from solved, let me emphasize that,&quot; he told ANC&#x27;s &quot;Headstart&quot;.&quot;On the other hand, this case has a chilling effect on press freedom and therefore, must be resolved and the perpetrators must be brought to court.&quot;A police official earlier claimed the slay case has been solved following the identification and filing of complaints against the suspects.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/23/22/police-say-lapid-slay-case-solved-broadcasters-camp-disagrees">Police say Lapid slay case solved; broadcaster&#x27;s camp disagrees</a></li></ul>The lawyer of the Mabasa family disputed the police declaration, underscoring the need to determine and charge mastermind of the crime.The extrajudicial confession of self-confessed gunman Joel Escorial cannot stand alone, said Drilon.&quot;The police investigators and the Department of Justice must validate this confession with corroborative evidence,&quot; he said.<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2305413" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>Should Escorial recant his testimony, Drilon warned the prosecution of the case would &quot;fall into pieces&quot;.&quot;Everybody is asking, &#x27;Is there a wider conspiracy here?&#x27; The alleged middleman is killed... under mysterious circumstances,&quot; he noted.Drilon also said there was no need for Senate to conduct its own probe.&quot;I appeal to my former colleagues [to] allow the police to finish their investigation. I do not know what a Senate investigation can do at this point,&quot; he said.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/18/22/pimentel-revilla-seek-deeper-probe-on-percy-lapid-slay-case">Pimentel, Revilla press for deeper probe on Percy Lapid slay case</a></li></ul>Some senators have called on police not to immediately consider the killing of Mabasa as a &quot;closed case”.Drilon was a senator from 1995 until 2007, and from 2010 until June of this year. He was also Secretary of the Department of Justice in 1990-1991, and from 1992 until 1995.Mabasa, a commentator on DWIZ 882 KHZ and DWBL 1242 AM, was killed by motorcycle-riding assailants on Oct. 3 in Las Piñas City.He was a vocal critic of the Duterte and Marcos administrations.A police spokesperson has said it is highly probable Mabasa&#x27;s killing is related to his work. <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/04/22/beteranong-brodkaster-patay-sa-pamamaril-sa-las-pias">Percy Lapid, beteranong brodkaster, patay sa pamamaril sa Las Piñas</a></li></ul>

The murder of Percival Mabasa is far from being solved, former senator and DOJ chief Franklin Drilon said, contradicting the police's claim on the broadcaster's case.