Duterte on sabungeros-drug war link: ‘Preposterous’

Former president Rodrigo Duterte has dismissed as “preposterous” claims that the disappearance of several cockfighting enthusiasts — or sabungeros — may be tied to his administration’s bloody war on drugs.

The statement was relayed by his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, during an ambush interview at The Hague on Wednesday. According to her, she informed her father of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla’s recent suggestion that the long-unsolved case might be connected to the drug war.

“I informed him about the missing sabungeros case… I told him there is an attempt to link him to the missing sabungeros case. He said that is preposterous,” the younger Duterte said, quoting the former president.

Justice Secretary Remulla earlier told reporters that investigators were looking into all angles in the sabungeros case, including a possible connection to the anti-drug campaign.