ManilaThe Philippine police chief announced Monday that 15 police personnel have been arrested and are under investigation for their suspected involvement in the kidnappings and alleged murders of at least 34 cockfighting aficionados.
The bodies of the missing were allegedly thrown in a picturesque lake with a raging volcano, and they were suspected of cheating in the wildly popular sport.
The victims disappeared in 2021 and 2022, primarily while traveling to or from cockfighting arenas located throughout Luzon, the primary northern Philippine region, which includes the metropolitan Manila capital area.
Following the recent appearance of a key witness who accused his former boss, a gambling tycoon, of masterminding the killings—bodies were allegedly burned elsewhere or thrown in Taal Lake south of Manila—the unsolved disappearances once again attracted public attention.
During a news conference, Gen. Nicolas Torre III, the head of national police, stated that a critical witness—who went by the alias Totoy—provided important information. Before being discarded, the cockfighting enthusiasts and laborers were mutilated and strangled.
According to him, police detectives have verified the witness’s information and supporting documentation, which will be utilized in criminal complaints the Department of Justice will make against the suspects.
The witness told local television networks that he made the decision to come forward because he believed his former employer was threatening to kill him. He stated that he wished to alleviate the suffering of the victims’ families who had been calling for justice for their departed loved ones.
When asked how he felt about the disclosures made by the police-guarded witness, Torre responded, “I was very shocked.” The fact that what transpired was barbaric and unacceptable by any measure strengthened our determination to find a true solution.
The powerful billionaire, who owns cockfighting arenas and other gambling establishments, and other suspects will face criminal charges, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla announced. The entrepreneur has refuted the accusations.
About four years after the deaths, Remulla announced he would approach Japan for assistance in providing technology to help search for remnants of the victims’ remains, which could yet be recovered from the bottom of Taal Lake.
In many parts of Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, Latin America, and certain parts of Europe, cockfighting has been a popular pastime and gambling sport, despite being outlawed in the United States and other Western countries because to concerns about animal cruelty.
In the Philippines, cockfighting arenas can be found in both major cities and remote rural communities. They attract a lot of fans to the regulated gambling sector, which creates thousands of employment and state money while also being an integral part of the local culture. In the midst of the crowd’s roar, two roosters with steel blades or razor-sharp gaffs fastened to their legs engage in combat, frequently to the death.
The missing cockfighting enthusiasts and employees were charged with cheating by covertly weakening one rooster or reducing its chances of winning, such as by lightly hurting it, and then placing a wager on the other rooster.
