Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief General Nicolas Torre III confirmed that missing sabungeros whistleblower Julie "Dondon" Patidongan, also known as Alias Totoy, is currently under their protective custody.

“Si ‘Totoy’ ay nasa protective custody namin sa ngayon, but he is already applying for the Witness Protection Program. Kapag siya ay nag-qualify, i-turn over namin siya sa Department of Justice,” Torre said in a press briefing.

(“‘Totoy’ is now under our protective custody, but he is already applying for the Witness Protection Program. Once he qualifies, we will turn him over to the Department of Justice.”)

Torre also revealed that Patidongan had already reached out to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) while he was still the CIDG chief. However, Torre declined to provide further details.

“What is important now is to give justice to the victims and to cleanse the organization of these kinds of personnel,” he said.

Fifteen police officers, including a lieutenant colonel, have also been confirmed to be under restrictive custody of the PNP due to their alleged involvement in the case.

Torre added that there is information suggesting that Taal is not the only area where the missing sabungeros were disposed of.

“Based on our information, Taal is not the only place of disposal. We are looking into other possible locations where the victims may have been taken,” he said.