After the de@th of the purported middleman in the murd*r of journalist Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa, the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) announced that detainee Jose Palana Villamor, cousin of deceased inmate Jun Globa Villamor, has been secured.

“Well, when the information came, sinecure naman natin lahat ng Villamor,” said BuCor spokesperson Gabriel Chaclag.

“So in coordination with the PNP, yung Jose Villamor ay secured po ‘yun,” he said.

However, it is unclear whether Jose is linked to the Lapid case. Joel Escorial, who surrendered to authorities and admitted to gunning down Lapid, claims that he and three others carried out the surprise attack on orders from an unnamed person in Bilibid, and then split the P550,000 reward among themselves.

Villamor has been identified as the person who directed Escorial to @ssassinate Lapid for P550,000. On Friday, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla announced that the Philippine National Police had apprehended another alleged middleman in Lapid’s murd*r, Christopher Bacoto.

However, Chaclag insisted that they had no record of a certain Crisanto Palana Villamor, the alleged middleman and self-confessed gunman Joel Escorial. According to Chaclag, the inmate who d!ed on Tuesday was named Jun Globa Villamor, according to BuCor records. Remulla stated at a press conference that both names made reference to the same person.

“Kinuha lamin lahat ng mga PDL na may last name or surname na Villamor, at dalawa lang ang meron doon: Jose Villamor and Jun Villamor, Jose Palana Villamor and Jun Globa Villamor. And the one who d!ed is Jun Globa Villamor,” Chaclag said.