Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla yesterday disclosed that the Department of Justice (DOJ) is looking into “more than 30” other individuals for their possible involvement in the disappearance and presumed murders of multiple gamecock enthusiasts popularly known as the “missing sabungeros.”
He made this remark following a face-to-face meeting with e-sabong whistleblower Julie ‘Dondon’ Patidongan, also called “Alyas Totoy.”
The new suspects bring to about 50 the number of people named by Patidongan as allegedly having a hand in the disappearance of the cockfighting aficionados accused of cheating. He had earlier named 18 policemen in his complaint with the National Police Commission (Napolcom) apart from three alleged masterminds.
“It is important [to talk to him] because we really need to be familiar with the demeanor of the witness and so far, so good… he is very reliable… We are still getting some information and clarifications about everything because he knows a lot of data, so we have to know what he knows,” the justice secretary told reporters.
Remulla explained that the DOJ is working to separate the missing sabungeros from other alleged victims of the previous administration’s drug war, as investigators are finding numerous intersections in the two cases.
“For the past 10 years, maybe we have to review the universe of the facts that we have to take into consideration for us to prepare good cases that can withstand any test,” he noted.
The justice secretary also urged more relatives of the disappeared cockfighting enthusiasts to come forward to provide samples for an envisioned DNA bank in hopes of delivering justice to the dead and closure to their families.
Meanwhile, the ongoing search and retrieval operations in Taal Lake were temporarily placed on standby due to continuous rainfall and surface runoff from the nearby river.
“Elevated turbidity levels significantly reduced underwater visibility, resulting in unfavorable conditions for the conduct of any diving operations,” explained Justice spokesperson Mico Clavano.
