Two brothers of whistleblower Julie Patidongan, who were tagged as the “missing link” in the case of the missing “sabungeros” are now under the custody of the Philippine National Police.
In a press conference at Camp Crame on Thursday, PNP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo said the suspects Elakim and Jose Patidongan were arrested in an undisclosed “Southeast Asian country” and brought back to the Philippines on July 22.
“We believe they are the missing link in the case of the missing ‘sabungeros,’” Fajardo said.
She said Jose was convicted by the Mandaluyong City Regional Trial Court branch 208 for robbery, while Elakim was caught using a different name – Robert Baylon – on his passport upon arrival at the airport.
Fajardo said both suspects have expressed willingness to cooperate with the ongoing investigation.
“The only way for them to become witnesses and be discharged as state witnesses is to file a case against them first,” she said.
She said Elakim was allegedly caught using the ATM card of “sabungero” victim Melbert John Santos, who went missing in Sta. Cruz, Laguna on Jan. 13, 2022.
Jose, meanwhile, was seen in a video escorting another victim, Michael Bautista, who was handcuffed at the time, on April 28, 2021, also in Sta. Cruz town.
Fajardo said former Criminal Investigation and Detection Group Director Brig. Gen. Romeo Macapaz was tipped off on June 23 that the two siblings were abroad.
“It was a very quiet operation. We didn’t release this information to the media because we wanted to secure their arrest,” she said.
The two, Fajardo said, also appeared to have left the country to illegal exit routes.
“We are now coordinating with the BI to check if there are travel records. Remember, one of them used an alias in a clear violation of our laws. So, all of these will be considered,” she said.
Meanwhile, Fajardo said no DNA profiles were extracted from the bones recovered from the Taal Lake during the search on July 30.
“The bones appeared to have already been contaminated. The challenge there was that these have been submerged in water for a long time,” she said.
At least 91 bone pieces were recovered from the five sacks retrieved from the lake earlier this July, the PNP Forensic Group previously said.
For his part, human rights lawyer and Akbayan Rep. Chel Diokno welcomed the Department of Justice’s announcement that a human skull with teeth and additional bones were recently recovered from Taal Lake, raising the possibility of DNA extraction from the remains.
“It is time to build an independent forensic laboratory that is separate from the chain of command of the PNP,” he said.
“The method of investigation should be made more scientific, and it should be ensured that it is free from the influence of the powerful, especially since there are policemen who are allegedly not involved in this case,” Diokno added.
