BI to bar Bantag, Zulueta from leaving Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — Bureau of Immigration officers at airports and seaports in the country will prevent former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Gerald Bantag and his former deputy, Ricardo Zulueta, if they try to leave the country, the BI said yesterday.

The names of the two former BuCor officials have been encoded in the BI system, which would alert authorities if the two men are about to leave the Philippines after a Muntinlupa court issued a hold-departure order against them.

“The HDO was immediately encoded in our centralized system and may be seen by our immigration officers at all ports nationwide,” BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said.

“Should they be encountered in any airport or seaport, they will be prevented from departing without prior approval from the courts,” he added.

Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court Branch 206 Judge Gener Gito issued the HDO on April 25 against Bantag and Zulueta, who are facing charges for the murders of radio broadcaster Percy Lapid and New Bilibid Prison inmate Cristito Villamor, the alleged middleman in Lapid’s killing.