PNP rules out foul play in Zulueta's death; Justice Sec Remulla orders NBI verification

The Philippine National Police (PNP) has ruled out foul play in the death of former Bureau of Corrections official Ricardo Zulueta, who was a respondent in the Percy Lapid murder case.

Zulueta died on March 15 after being rushed to Bataan Peninsula Medical Center with chest pain; his cause of death is listed as cerebrovascular disease intracranial hemorrhage.

According to PNP spokesperson Colonel Jean Fajardo, Zulueta was with his common-law wife the day before he died and was taken to the hospital by his brother when he complained of chest pains.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla has directed the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to verify the authenticity of Zulueta's death certificate despite the initial ruling by PNP.

Percy Lapid was the second journalist killed under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s administration, according to the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines.