Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla has reached out to Japan for technical assistance in mapping Taal Lake in a renewed effort to locate the bodies of dozens of cockfighting enthusiasts believed to have been executed and dumped there by rogue police officers.
The appeal comes after revelations from key witness Julie “Dondon” Patidongan, a former mayoral candidate, who claimed knowledge of where the victims were submerged. Remulla said Friday the Department of Justice now has multiple witnesses ready to pinpoint where the bodies were allegedly thrown.
“We need a scientific approach here. We cannot leave it to chance,” Remulla said in an ABS-CBN News report, revealing he had just signed a formal request for Japanese support, specifically for lakebed mapping and other investigative technology.
The case stems from a string of high-profile disappearances in 2022 involving at least 34 individuals tied to the country’s multimillion-dollar cockfighting industry, or sabong. Remulla said a group of 15 police officers, accused of carrying out the killings, are now under investigation and on restricted duty. “They carried out the executions,” he stated.
Interest in the case reignited after Patidongan’s televised appearance, initially in silhouette, where he accused livestreaming operator Charlie Ang of orchestrating the crimes. Ang has denied the accusations and filed a counter-case against Patidongan for slander and other charges.
Meanwhile, families of the missing men continue to press for justice. On Friday, relatives met with officials from the police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) at Camp Crame to demand updates.
Maricel Ramos, whose son is among the disappeared, pleaded for action. “Tanggap na po namin na wala na ‘yong anak namin. Kahit buto lang po ng anak namin, makita namin,” she said.
Another grieving father, Aurelio Panaligan, emphasized the hardship endured. “’Yon pong proseso talaga pong… oras, panahon, sakripisyo po,” he said, noting they had traveled from Quezon the day before.
Overwhelmed by emotion, Francisca de Luna Ramos shared her pain. “Para naman pong hayop na pinatay ang aking anak. Wala naman pong magulang na itataboy ang anak,” she said. “Humihingi po ako ng hustisya.”
Authorities made a series of arrests in late 2022, but with the number of victims possibly rising to 100, the pressure to act has never been greater.
