DOJ to look into new claims of ‘missing sabungeros’ tossed in Taal Lake

Metro Manila, Philippines - The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday, June 19, said it would vet new information revealed on the unsolved case of the "missing sabungeros" (cockfighting enthusiasts) who vanished without a trace four years ago.

Justice Secretary Boying Remulla made the statement in reaction to a suspect’s account that aired on a television interview, claiming that the remains of the missing people were thrown into the Taal Lake.

According to the interviewee, who was identified as one of the six security guards at the Manila Arena, the victims were strangled with wires before they were dumped into the water.

Remulla said the new information “can be a credible story.”

“Kasi wala talagang trace [There really was no trace]. (If) you vanished without a trace, then it must be somewhere where people have not been able to look. Baka hindi pa natitingnan ‘yung lugar [Maybe the place has not been probed yet],” he said.

The justice secretary said the department would need to verify the information amid an ongoing case build up, adding that new witnesses have also surfaced.

“Para ma-determine natin ang veracity nung (To determine the veracity of the information), we need technical divers to do it kasi malalim din ‘yan (because that is deep) and it’s not easy to go into a lakebed to look for human remains,” Remulla said.

The DOJ has five witnesses on the case. Remulla said some suspects are facing charges, some on bail, while the remaining have yet to face formal raps.

The missing sabungero case stems from 34 cock breeders, agents, and cockfighting players who disappeared without clues after attending some matches in Manila, Laguna, Batangas, and Bulacan on separate dates from April 2021 to January 2022.

The DOJ, the Philippine National Police, and the National Bureau of Investigation launched separate probes.

The six security guards at Manila Arena that were identified as suspects were detained in 2022 and facing kidnapping and serious illegal detention raps but were later released on bail.

In 2024, the Court of Appeals cited strong evidence in the six suspects’ involvement and ordered them rearrested in January this year.