Abante seeks quad panel revival to probe missing sabungeros

Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. proposed on Tuesday the revival of the House quad committee to lead the parallel investigation into the disappearance of more than 30 sabungeros (cockfighting aficionados) that took place between 2021 and 2022 under the administration of former president Rodrigo Duterte.

The lawmaker, who co-chaired the mega panel, said the case of the missing sabungeros—who were allegedly abducted and killed—may be interrelated to the extrajudicial killings under the previous administration’s war against illegal drugs.

Abante posits that the quad committee, originally formed in the 19th Congress and which launched the extensive investigation into EJKs (extrajudicial killings), has the credibility to spearhead the probe into the missing sabungeros, given the striking resemblance in how the victims were killed—with the absence of due process.

“The disappearance of the ‘missing sabungeros’ is no different from the extrajudicial killings in the fight against illegal drugs, a clear violation of human rights which is no longer just about gambling but about justice, accountability, the rule of law, and blatant disrespect of and disregard to the value and dignity of human life,” the resolution read.

The Department of Justice is currently conducting an in-depth investigation and search operations for the remains of the missing sabungeros allegedly dumped in Taal Lake, as claimed by Julie "Dondon" Patidongan, or alias Totoy, the whistleblower and one of the guards accused of abducting the sabungeros.

Justice Secretary Boying Remulla claimed that there is a possibility that the persons behind the drug war are the same people involved in the killings related to e-sabong.

“To be honest, it’s really revealing. The fact that the Justice Secretary himself said that shows that there is really a need to reconvene the quad com to investigate all these. If there is a connection to the war on drugs, then the quad comn should look into this scenario,” Abante said in a briefing.

Gaming tycoon Charlie “Atong” Ang and actress and socialite Gretchen Barretto are being tagged as the “masterminds” behind the disappearance of the sabungeros, the number of which, according to Patidongan, could be more than 100. Ang and Barretto have both denied the allegations.

Aside from seeking a congressional probe, Abante also filed the “Anti-Online and Anti-Offsite Gambling Act,” which aims to outlaw all forms of online gambling and off-site betting, including e-sabong.

Several bills pushing to dismantle e-gambling have been filed in both the House and the Senate in light of the ongoing search for the missing sabungeros.

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), which provides licenses to e-gambling operators, has voiced strong objection to a total ban on online gambling, warning that outlawing the entire industry would cost the government hundreds of billions of pesos in lost revenue.

In 2024 alone, PAGCOR generated P50 billion from license fees paid by operators, on top of payments to the Bureau of Internal Revenue. PAGCOR chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco said one major gaming firm alone produced P30 to P40 billion.

Tengco has proposed that strict regulation—not a total ban—is needed to manage the industry while ensuring government income.

Airing the similar frustrations of his fellow legislators, Abante argued that “no amount of government revenue can justify the human cost of this pastime.”

“We cannot continue to build schools or roads with money soaked in the blood of fathers who have lost their savings, or of children who gambled away their futures. We should not heal our citizens with resources generated from industry that harms our kababayan,” he pointed out.

The COVID-19 pandemic provided fertile ground for the explosion of online gambling under then-president Rodrigo Duterte.

Among them was e-sabong, which was initially regulated by PAGCOR but eventually suspended in May 2022 after the Department of the Interior and Local Government recommended a halt, citing serious societal harm.