A criminal complaint has been filed before the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Friday (Jan. 13) against suspended Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director General Gerald Bantag for having allegedly stabbed two inmates in 2022.
In the complaint filed by the BuCor on behalf of New Bilibid Prison (NBP) inmates Ronald Usman and Jonathan Escopete, Bantrag is accused of violating the Anti-Torture Act of 2019 and two counts of serious physical injuries.
The complaint also named as respondent BuCor Deputy Security Officer Ricardo Zulueta who is accused of two counts of obstruction of justice.
It also pointed out that these unlawful acts committed by the two “likewise constitute Grave Misconduct which warrant the conduct of an administrative investigation and filing of Formal Charges against them.”
Zulueta is also the co-respondent of Bantag in the murder complaints still pending before the DOJ concerning the killing of broadcaster Percy Lapid and inmate Jun Villamor.
The latest complaint filed Friday indicated that Usman and Escopete issued sworn statements recounting that the stabbing incident took place on Feb. 1, 2022 inside the office of Bantag whom they claimed was drunk at that time.
“Both complainants suffered serious physical injuries which required medical attendance for one to two months for Usman and three to four weeks for Escopete,” the complaint said.
The two inmates were among the Bilibid gang leaders summoned by Bantag at his office.
During the meeting, Usman recounted that Bantag “held his right hand and stabbed his right palm with the use of double-edged knife which pierced through.”
“Escopete, on the other hand, alleged that Usec. Bantag slashed his shirt using a Kris knife and thereafter, pointed it on his chest causing it to bleed,” it cited.
“He pleaded for mercy and when he could not endure the torture, he tried to hold the point end of the kris knife, but Usec. Bantag stabbed his left thigh,” it added.
The complaint said Zulueta was also inside Bantag’s office when the stabbings took place but “did not do anything to prevent Usec. Bantag from inflicting serious physical injuries on complainants Usman and Escopete” and instead, the following day, “gave them fifty thousand pesos (Php 50,000.00) each and warned them that if they will not accept the money, something bad might happen to them.”
Bantag, through his lawyer, has denied stabbing any Bilibid inmate.
