SEN. Risa Hontiveros urged the Philippine government on Friday to intervene for the release of Mark Mabasa, son of slain broadcaster Percy Lapid, who was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in California.
Hontiveros said Mabasa, who had sought asylum in the United States with other members of the Mabasa family following death threats in the Philippines, was detained for reasons that have yet to be disclosed.
“It is unacceptable that a person who has been seeking asylum is detained without a clear reason,” Hontiveros said.
She said she had raised Mabasa’s case with Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez, US Ambassador to the Philippines Lee Lipton and Philippine Consul General in Los Angeles Adel Cruz.
Hontiveros said that she had brought the family’s security concerns to public attention in 2022.
The family had implicated then-suspended Bureau of Corrections chief Gerald Bantag in the killing of Percy Lapid, whose real name was Percival Mabasa. Bantag has denied involvement in the broadcaster’s killing.
Hontiveros said the government had a responsibility to ensure the safety of the slain broadcaster’s family, particularly after it failed to prevent his death.
“The government had already failed to protect Percy's life. The least we can do now is ensure that our citizens are safe wherever they are in the world,” she said.
The senator noted that it has been four years since Lapid was killed, saying the family should not be subjected to further trauma while still seeking justice.
“The Mabasa family has endured enough,” Hontiveros said.
