Phl seeks Japan’s aid to locate missing sabungeros in Taal Lake

The Philippine government has requested technical assistance from Japan to help locate the bodies of missing cockfighting enthusiasts believed to have been executed and dumped into Taal Lake by rogue police officers.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla earlier confirmed that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has formally asked Tokyo for support, including advanced lakebed mapping technology, in the ongoing search for the victims.

“I have instructed my staff to draft a letter to the Japanese government and to ask for their ROVs, remote operating vehicles, at ‘yung mga equipment na kasama nito para mamap natin ang lake bed ng Taal para makita natin kung anong mga sediments ang pwede natin tingnan at istorbuhin para mahanap natin ang ating hinahanap (and the accompanying equipment, so we can map the lake bed of Taal and identify which sediments we can examine and disturb in order to find what we are looking for),” Remulla said in his television interview on Friday.

“I just signed a letter for the Japanese government asking for assistance to enable us to do a lakebed mapping and other technology that we need,” he added.

The move comes amid renewed public interest in a string of high-profile disappearances tied to the country’s multibillion-peso sabong (cockfighting) industry. The victims, 34 in total, according to official investigations, vanished in 2022 under suspicious circumstances.

Recent revelations by a whistleblower have brought the case back into the spotlight. Julie "Dondon" Patidongan, a former mayoral candidate and self-proclaimed witness, recently went public after initially appearing in silhouette in an exclusive television interview with GMA Integrated News.

Patidongan claims he knows the specific areas in Taal Lake where the victims were disposed of.

Remulla said multiple witnesses have now come forward and are willing to testify on the locations in the lake where the bodies were allegedly dumped.

“There are more than 34. There must be a hundred of them,” he said.

Citing Totoy’s testimony, Remulla said there may be politicians involved in the group responsible for the disappearance of the missing sabungeros.

“May binanggit kaya lang syempre kasama sa investigation ‘yan (He mentioned someone, but of course that will be part of the ongoing investigation),” Remulla said.

Remulla noted he has been talking to Totoy for the past two months and has found him “very credible” as a potential state witness in the case.

The Justice Secretary said 15 unnamed members of the national police are under investigation and have been placed on restricted duty.

“They carried out the executions,” he said. “We need a scientific approach here. We cannot leave it to chance.”

Located roughly two hours from Metro Manila, Taal Lake spans over 230 square kilometers and is home to an active volcano, with depths reaching 172 meters — making the recovery operation highly complex and technically demanding.

The controversy escalated further this week after Patidongan accused businessman Charlie “Atong” Ang of orchestrating the disappearances.

Ang, who was heavily involved in online cockfighting operations, has denied the accusations. Last Thursday, he filed a counter-suit against Patidongan, accusing him of slander, threats, and conspiracy to commit robbery.