The Department of Justice (DOJ) yesterday disclosed that it is looking into four e-sabong groups in connection with the disappearance and presumed killing of over 100 cockfighting enthusiasts, widely known as the “missing sabungeros.”
In a press briefing, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla described the alleged mass murder as “corporate killings” that were likely carried out to protect business interests.
“It is not just the ‘Alpha’ group. There is also the ‘Delta’ group, the ‘Charlie’ group, the ‘Bravo’ group… It is just tiered according to the income stream that they receive out of this e-sabong industry,” he told justice reporters in Filipino.
As this developed, the Supreme Court (SC) confirmed receiving from the justice department initial information on the alleged mastermind behind the disappearance of the “sabungeros” – described as an individual with strong ties with unnamed members of the judiciary.
In her message to justice reporters, SC spokesperson Camille Ting said, “It is the policy of the Court to receive and act on credible reports of corruption, including those coming from high-ranking government officials such as the Secretary of Justice.”
She noted that the individual may be exerting influence over judges and justices.
“The high tribunal treats all reports it receives through its various channels with utmost seriousness and conducts an independent and thorough investigation on them,” said Ting.
It was further revealed that the justice secretary is expected to meet Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo again to further discuss the judiciary’s alleged links to the case of the missing sabungeros.
Meanwhile, Remulla said the government is almost ready to begin combing the bottom of Taal Lake, where whistleblower Julie “Dondon” Patidongan said the remains of the missing sabungeros could be found.
“We are waiting for other details so that we can continue with the exploratory dive. We have to map out everything, we have to make a schedule, and we are still waiting for some equipment that will be lent by the Japanese government,” he said.
The justice chief noted that the search will be a whole-of-government operation as it involves the lives of many Filipinos.
Likewise, the Philippine Navy (PN) announced that it would dispatch members of the elite “SEALs” to help in the search for the bodies in Taal Lake.
“We are still waiting for the official request for assistance from the Department of Justice,” Navy spokesperson Capt. John Percie Alcos told reporters on Tuesday.
“The Naval Special Operations Command is an elite unit of the Philippine Navy. They can be dispatched anytime, anywhere, any place,” he added.
According to Alcos, three teams composed of four personnel each are normally dispatched for technical diving operations.
For his part, Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, himself a Navy SEAL, said that should the Taal Volcano become more restive, the search can still commence using the PN’s underwater drones.
Furthermore, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is making available to the DOJ equipment and technical guidance in locating human remains in the depths of Taal Lake.
DOST Secretary Renato Solidum said he has already talked to homegrown scientists regarding the possibility of helping map the bottom of the sprawling lake.
He said there are two ways to map out the lake bed for detecting human remains, “regardless if they are the missing sabungeros or not.”
“The first is the echo sounder, and the other one is the multibeam echo sounder. We have an echo sounder, but only the private sector has the multibeam echo sounder,” the government’s top scientist said.
