At least 20 relatives of missing “sabungeros” (cockfighting enthusiasts) went to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) this week to submit new sworn statements, following explosive allegations from a key suspect who implicated high-profile individuals in the victims’ disappearances.
Julie “Dondon” Patidongan, who is facing charges in connection with the abductions, recently alleged that businessman Charlie “Atong” Ang and three others orchestrated the kidnappings of dozens of cockfighting aficionados between 2021 and 2022.
Patidongan also claimed that actress Gretchen Barretto was aware of the operation.
Both Ang and Barretto have denied any involvement in the case, which remains one of the country’s most unsettling mysteries.
In a television interview, Patidongan revealed that 100 sabungeros were abducted and allegedly killed, their bodies dumped in Taal Lake.
However, official police records list 34 individuals as missing from 2021 to 2022 in connection with the case.
Authorities believe the victims were targeted due to alleged match-fixing and cheating schemes within the lucrative e-sabong (online cockfighting) industry.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) confirmed on Friday that 15 police officers suspected of carrying out executions in connection with the disappearances have been placed under restricted duty.
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla added that an internal review of law enforcement’s role in the alleged abductions is ongoing.
Earlier, in January 2023, seven police officers were dismissed from the service over their suspected involvement in the case.