The disappearance and murder case of "cockfighting enthusiasts" in the Philippines continues to escalate. On June 25, the Minister of Justice, Remulla, publicly stated that since 2021, the number of missing and suspected murdered cockfighting enthusiasts may far exceed the previously confirmed 34 people, with the real number possibly reaching up to 100. Each case is operated by organized crime groups, with each life "priced" at 500,000 pesos.
Explosive clues came from a detainee willing to testify in court, "Totoy," who had worked as a security guard at the Manila Arena and was the "inside man" of the main perpetrating gang. He claimed that most of the victims were accused of cheating in electronic cockfighting (e-sabong) gambling, secretly taken to the area around Taal Lake in Batangas Province, murdered, and then their bodies were dumped in the lake. The killers collected a payment of 500,000 pesos per case after the deed.
Remulla pointed out that this is not a single kidnapping and murder case, but likely a systematic murder revolving around the illegal profit chain of e-sabong, and did not rule out the involvement of high-level political figures. Electronic cockfighting was once prevalent nationwide, generating revenues of several billion pesos per month, until President Marcos Jr. announced a comprehensive ban in 2022.
The Department of Justice has now requested the Court of Appeals to revoke the bail decision of the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 40 for six kidnapping suspects, including Julie Patindol Gan and Mark Saballa. Remulla stated that if detention is reinstated, it will encourage more witnesses to come forward and testify.
The Department of Justice is also formally planning to request assistance from Japan to use remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to search the underwater area of Taal Lake for the bodies, to further determine the location of the bodies and the scale of the crime.
Remulla emphasized that facing an organized system of violence, the government will not compromise, "This is no longer a single criminal case, but a major case concerning national security and the dignity of the rule of law." He called for public attention and collective pressure to bring justice to the victims.
