The case of the missing sabungeros (cockfighting aficionados) took a grim turn last week after Philippine Navy divers recovered sacks from the bottom of Taal Lake believed to contain human bones.
The discovery was exactly as described by whistleblower Julie ‘Totoy’ Patidongan who said a known gambling lord had ordered the killing of sabungeros suspected of cheating in online cockfighting.
The number of victims has been pegged at 34, although Patidongan said the number could be as high as a hundred.
He had named Charlie ‘Atong’ Ang as the alleged mastermind behind the disappearance of the sabungeros, which happened in several tranches three years ago.
Three sacks of what appeared to be burned human bones have been recovered as of press time, with retrieval operations still ongoing.
Philippine National Police chief Nicolas Torre III admitted that several policemen were suspected of having taken part in the kidnapping of the victims.
They have been placed under preventive suspension and will undergo investigation by the National Police Commission.
Torre said of the 15 policemen/suspects, 11 were still active, one has retired, and three were earlier dismissed from service.
The highest ranking officer is a lieutenant colonel, said Torre.
Ang had previously been tagged as an illegal gambling lord who was closely connected to then President Joseph Estrada, who granted him the franchise to operate small-town lotto.
This, after Ang had been tagged as an operator of jueteng, equivalent to the numbers prevalent in the US in the 1930s.
Former president Rodrigo Duterte also made Ang an adviser, telling him to clean up the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office during his term.
Ang had faced the media on several instances where he denied involvement in what is now being treated as multiple kidnap-with-murder cases.
He, however, admitted knowing Patidongan as an active participant in his e-sabong games. The whistleblower is not to be trusted, he said.
In one such interview, Ang casually stated that he had been asked to donate PHP15 million to the campaign of one senator, which he had granted.
Donating such amounts was not unusual for him, said Ang.
Relatives of the victims – still considered as missing persons – visited Justice Sec. Jesus Crispin Remulla. They told him that they believed Ang and Barreto were involved in the disappearance of their kin.
One of the first sabungeros to disappear back in January 2022 was Edgar Malaca, whose mother was among those who visited the Department of Justice (DOJ) last week.
Among the victims whose aunt Janice Esplana also went to the DOJ was Myson Ramos, who was only 14 when he was abducted.
Esplana said they already knew what happened “a long time ago.” As such, they were not surprised at the latest findings of the remains being found in Taal Lake.
Remulla tagged Ang and Barreto as principal suspects after Patidongan’s detailed revelation.
The whistleblower said the victims were killed, hogtied and burned, with the remains placed in sacks that were then weighed down with rocks before being dumped in the lake.
The victims were all suspected of cheating in the online cockfights.
The e-sabong games is said to be grossing as much as PHP3 billion a day, with Ang and his company keeping a 10 percent profit, or PHP300 million daily.
Vowing to help the relatives of the missing sabungeros, Remulla said, “We must not allow money to become the only master of the Filipino people.”
Before tagging Ang, Remulla had earlier admitted that “very powerful” people were behind the case, and charging and convicting them would be a very tall order.
