National Police Commission (Napolcom) Vice Chairperson and Executive Officer Commissioner Rafael Calinisan disclosed Thursday that four of the 12 suspended policemen implicated in the missing sabungero case were also linked to missing victims of the 'war on drugs' during the previous administration.

"May 4 policemen po that overlap with the sabungeros case po," Calinisan told the Daily Tribune. "This was apparently not just about the drug war. They strayed into sabong. And technically, this is not just sabong, it also involves extrajudicial killings," he added.

Calinisan said the involvement of the same police officers in the two cases shows there is a link between them, and that they believe there is a possibility that some of the missing victims were among the bodies dumped in Taal Lake.

“Our policemen have sworn to protect and serve, sila dapat ang huling-huling na i-involve sa ganitong klaseng mga kontrobersya (They should be the last to be involved in this kind of controversy).”

Despite years of setbacks, families vowed not to stop until they get answers. This came after relatives of drug war victims sought the help of Napolcom to run after the police officers they accuse of abducting their children.

Calinisan said the complainants decided to revive their cases after learning that some of the suspended policemen tagged in the cockfight disappearance cases were the same ones they have long been accusing in the disappearances.

Milagros Estacio’s son was last seen in February 2021, forced into a vehicle in Manila caught on CCTV.

“Apat na taon na po nawawala ‘yung anak ko, nagpaalam lang naman po siya na may sisingilin siya na kaibigan. May isang alias 'Kulot' na nakita sa CCTV na sumakay doon sa sasakyan na nag-abduct. ‘Yung Atienza na ‘yan, kasama po ‘yan ng mga kapulisan," Estacio said.

Elizabeth Sotto’s son also went missing a month later during a police anti-drug operation in Las Piñas.

“Nadamay lang po doon sa isang kasama niya, kaibigan niya. Siguro hindi naman kukunin kaya lang kasama siya noong time na yun. And then, ayun, kinuha na sila, hinarang na sila sa labas,” she said.

In Cavite, Roger Mateos lost not one but two sons allegedly to the same group of policemen. His case before the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and Department of Justice (DOJ) was dismissed.

“‘Yun nga ang hindi ko po malaman. Nandun na ‘yung malakas sila, may pera ‘yung kalaban namin,” he said.

Calinisan, on the other hand, assured the victims' relatives that they will continue their probe to determine the full extent of police involvement in both the drug war disappearances and the sabungero case.