The case of 34 missing cockfighting aficionados could finally be solved after a whistleblower claimed that they were all killed and their bodies disposed of, either in Taal Lake or the town of Taal in Batangas province.
The ‘sabungeros’ have been missing since the last quarter of 2022. They were allegedly picked up by unknown parties in several batches after they were suspected of cheating in the online cockfights, or e-sabongs.
After a whistleblower –- referred to as Alias Totoy – finally spoke up around two weeks ago, he declared that the sabungeros were all strangled to death and their bodies disposed of in Taal.
Alias Totoy has previously been tagged as a suspect in the disappearance of the cockfight aficionados but it was only recently that he finally said he was willing to point to the parties behind the crime.
The National Police Commission is taking part in the investigation as Alias Totoy had said that policemen were involved in the killing of the sabungeros.
Some reports said the bodies were thrown in the Taal lake, site of the world famous Taal volcano, while other reports said the bodies were buried in various places in the town of Taal.
Although a mastermind has been tagged, his identity has been withheld by authorities.
Justice Sec. Jesus Crispin Remulla would only say that the supposed mastermind was a “powerful” and “well known” celebrity.
So powerful is this individual that Remulla said he had consulted with the Supreme Court on how to handle the case as “this person’s money can even reach the judiciary.”
The whistleblower had been quoted that a well-known celebrity was involved in what has now become a mass kidnap with murder case.
Feeling herself alluded to, actress Gretchen Barreto spoke out on the matter, saying that she was ready to point to Sen. Bato dela Rosa as being a heavy bettor on e-sabong.
As far back as the last quarter of 2022, Barreto and Dela Rosa had been throwing veiled accusations at each other but they were not linked to the missing sabungeros back then.
This was because the victims were only considered as missing persons, not murder victims.
Alias Totoy had actually stated that the celebrity he was referring to was only part of the inner circle of the mastermind.
Online gambling, which includes e-sabong, is legal in the country and the biggest operator is said to be businessman Atong Ang, who gained notoriety during the time of former President Erap Estrada as one of the then president’s cronies, whom he referred to as his advisers.
Aside from belonging to a family of actresses, Gretchen Barreto was also the girlfriend of telecoms magnate Tonyboy Cojuangco. After they separated, Barreto became the “partner” of Ang.
It was when Sen. dela Rosa threatened to hold a Senate hearing on the case of the missing sabungeros and the online gambling operations in the country that Barreto came up with her own threat to expose the senator.
Dela Rosa has denied being a bettor on e-sabong but Barreto has stated that she has proof to prove that the senator was lying.
It must be noted that the mastermind behind the case of the missing sabungeros has been able to “kill” media stories investigating the case.
Families of the missing sabungeros have gone to high ranking government officials seeking help on multiple occasions but had gotten very little help or media coverage.Alias Totoy’s revelations has changed matters. All that is needed for the case to move forward is to find the remains of the sabungeros, which may be extremely difficult however if they were disposed of in Taal lake.
