DoJ probes mass graves tied to e-sabong, drug war

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla on Wednesday confirmed that the authorities have begun exhuming bodies in Batangas and other parts of Luzon as part of the deepening investigation into the long-unsolved disappearances of dozens of cockfight enthusiasts — or sabungeros — as well as potential links to killings carried out during the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.

Remulla revealed that at least three bodies were being dug up in Batangas, believed to have been buried after they were not claimed as far back as 2020.

Investigators are looking into whether the bodies are connected to the enforced disappearances tied to illegal online cockfighting operations or the extrajudicial killings during the drug war in the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

“There’s more possible evidence being evaluated. We are identifying the relevant cases,” Remulla said. “The fish cage area of Taal Lake is one of the key locations under scrutiny. It was reportedly used by individuals involved in the disposal of human remains and it’s owned by an operative linked to the contractors we are investigating.”

The Justice secretary said that aside from Batangas, sites in Caloocan and other areas are also being looked at. Some of these sites, he said, include unclaimed bodies allegedly buried by police after no families came forward to claim them.

“Some victims were found as early as 2020 and were buried by police after going unclaimed in forensic facilities. We are exhuming them now as we speak. We must find out who these people are,” Remulla said.

To help identify the remains, the Department of Justice (DoJ) is coordinating with the Philippine National Police (PNP), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and foreign partners such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Japanese forensic experts. He said the Philippine government has requested equipment and technical assistance for DNA testing and is working to establish a national DNA database.

“This is not an easy task. We need all the help we can get,” he said.

While the focus of the investigation remains on e-sabong-related cases, Remulla said the lines have blurred due to an “intersection” of people and methods also used during the drug war.

“We are focused on the e-sabong cases. But if there’s an intersection (with the drug war), we cannot turn our backs. It must be part of a comprehensive investigation,” he said.

Earlier, whistleblower Julie “Dondon” Patidongan claimed more than 100 sabungeros were abducted and killed, with some of the bodies dumped in Taal Lake. This prompted an expanded search operation in and around the area.

Remulla previously suggested that the same group of actors may have been involved in both the drug war and e-sabong disappearances, calling them part of a larger pattern of impunity.

“The thing is, the actors, the people involved in what we call enforced disappearances, it seems like, it matches that one group was used for both. They were part of the drug war and they were part of the disposition in e-sabong,” he said.

Sara Duterte hits back

Meanwhile, Vice President Sara Duterte blasted what she described as a politically motivated effort to link her father, former president Duterte, to the case of the missing sabungeros.

“I told him about the case of the missing sabungeros. And I told him that there seemed to be an attempt to link him to the issue,” she told reporters in The Hague, Netherlands, where she is visiting her father.

“His response was that it was preposterous. Yes, it’s preposterous,” she quoted him as saying.

The Vice President said the attacks on her father were not isolated but part of a broader demolition job against their family dating back to 2023.

“Well, we expected this. We saw it early on, around September 2023, when the attacks on my office began,” she said.

She recalled that during the 2025 campaign period, there were already whispers from people within political circles who were spreading negative narratives.

“But even during the campaign, we were already hearing reports — insiders telling us that some people from their group were saying not-so-good things about us. I won’t name names, but we know what was being said,” she said.

Duterte said she initially dismissed the criticisms, thinking her role was too minor to warrant the attention.

“I thought, who am I, really? I’m just the Vice President. The presidency is theirs, they make the decisions. Technically, the VP is just a spare tire, right?” she said.

“But I never thought it would go this far — that even the work I do would be affected and they would try to clip the wings of the Office of the Vice President just to stop us from helping the people,” she added.

Expressing her dismay, Duterte said she no longer sees a path forward for national unity.

“I didn’t expect our country to reach this point where nothing is moving. As I said before, it feels like we’re on a road to perdition — and right now, I think it’s hopeless. I don’t see any way back to that time when there was unity and a continuation of President Duterte’s legacy,” she said. -30-