The family of slain radio broadcaster Percy Lapid is appealing to President Bongbong Marcos to lead the investigation in the killing of the veteran journalist.
In an interview on GMA News, Roy Mabasa, the brother of Percy, said that the President may be able to stop the killing of journalists in the country if he himself will personally be on top of the probe.
“Nais kong manawagan sa Pangulo na sana ay pangunahan itong imbestigasyon. Dahil bakit ba natin gusto na ang Pangulo ang nasa unahan nito? Para matigil na once and for all ang killings sa mga journalist,” Roy said.
Roy previously told CNN Philippines that he doesn’t want his brother’s death to be part of the statistics. Roy, who is also a journalist, said that around 200 journalists have been killed in the country since 1986.
RELATED STORY: Veteran radio broadcaster Percy Lapid of “Lapid Fire” shot dead in Las Piñas
“Kaya ang pakiusap natin dapat Pangulo ang mamumuno dito kung ang intensiyon ng Pangulo ay talagang supilin itong krimen na ganito laban sa mga mamamahayag,” Roy said.
The National Capital Region Police revealed that they now have a person of interest on the killing of radio broadcaster Percival Mabasa or Percy Lapid.
NCRPO chief Police Brigadier General Jonnel Estomo said in a press briefing that the image of the person of interest was captured by CCTV cameras in the area. The man was caught in areas along Lapid’s route moments before he was shot dead.
“The Special Investigation Task Force Percy Lapid, with their ongoing follow-up investigation, confirmed to have developed a person of interest in the case as a result of their collection of all available backtrack CCTV footage along the victim’s routes before the incident happened,” Estomo said.
READ ON: CCTV captures person of interest in Percy Lapid slay, bounty now up to Php1.5M
Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos even presented a large poster of the person of interest including the P1.5 million reward money. The identity of the suspect remains unknown.
“Importanteng ma-identify natin ang taong ito,” Abalos said.
Estomo added that from P500,000 the reward money grew to over a million pesos coming from friends of the victim.
