The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) disclosed on Monday that it has a new informant that could possibly help the bureau in establishing a lead as the agency re-opened the case on the disappearance of Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) employee Edgar Bentain 10 years ago.

This was bared by Regional Director lawyer Ric Diaz, chief of NBI Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU), adding they have an informant whom he refuses to name.

Diaz said the informant told the authorities about the information on where Bentain was buried.

However, the NBI-CTU chief said they are still in the process of verifying the information being given by the informant.

He said the informant was actually not an eye witness but offered secondhand information. “As of this time, we have no eyewitness. In the absence of the witness who can give first hand information, the investigators can go to the other witnesses who have secondhand information. In my experience in this kind of work, these kind witnesses can help us to establish a lead. May mahuhukay ka rin para makapagsimula,” he said.

Diaz added that the bureau has first to establish if there was a crime committed. “Officially, it was a case of disappearance. We have no witnesses who saw Bentain being abducted or murdered. But this informant is saying he/she was told which place where Bentain was buried,” he said.

It was recalled that the NBI had already closed the Bentain case years back but had to re-open the case on order of Acting Justice Secretary

Agnes Devanadera following a request of Bentain’s family and in response to the exposé of Senator Panfilo Lacson.

The NBI agents who worked on the case had already appeared before the Task Force Bentain to give details on the case.

“Our agents who worked on the case before had already appeared to give us details and insights. But so far there is no significant details to move forward,” Deputy Director for Intelligence Services lawyer Ruel Lasala said in an earlier interview.

Unlike in the 2000 Salvador “Bubby” Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito double murder case, Lasala said there is no witness yet in Bentain case.

“The Dacer-Corbito case was solved because we had witnesses there. In Bentain’s case, there isn’t anyone. The information given by Senator Lacson in his exposé is too general. He said Bentain was taken to Laguna where he was killed. Laguna is too big. But we will not stop here and we will keep working and look for other ways to get vital information,” said Lasala in an interview.

Lasala said the bureau started doing backtracking on the Bentain case. “This is a 10-year-old case so we have so many works to do. We would also review records of the case,” he said.

The Department of Justice (DoJ) directed the NBI to create Task Force Bentain.

Bentain was abducted on January 16, 1999, in front of the Grand Boulevard Hotel (formerly Silahis Hotel) by still unidentified men.

He was the video operator of PAGCOR who leaked footage of then-Vice President Joseph Estrada gambling in the casino with his former friend Charlie “Atong” Ang.

The footage was made public allegedly by Estrada’s political opponents to undermine his bid for the presidency in 1998.