6 days ago
Whistleblower could unveil link between missing sabungeros and drug war —solon
The whistleblower who recently surfaced could shed light on the link between the missing sabungeros' case and the Duterte administration's drug war, Bicol Saro party-list Representative Terry Ridon said.
Ridon said this following the revival of the House Quad Committee (QuadComm), the mega panel composed of four committees that investigated the extrajudicial killings during the controversial anti-drug campaign.
Under the adopted House Resolution 106, the QuadComm is tasked 'to conduct a joint inquiry in need of legislation to address emerging and unresolved issues brought forth by the joint investigation of the previous Quad Committee during the 19th Congress.'
"We want to focus on the missing sabungeros and their intersectionality with the Duterte drug war because there were allegations that the kill team for the missing sabungeros is the same for the Duterte drug war," said Ridon, head of the committee on public accounts, one of the panels in the QuadComm.
Whistleblower and co-accused Julie 'Dondon' Patidongan surfaced last month and claimed that the missing sabungeros were buried in Taal Lake.
A total of 34 cockfighting enthusiasts have been reported missing from 2021 to 2022. According to the police, the missing personalities were kidnapped allegedly due to match fixing or cheating in the cockfighting games.
"We would like to be able to talk to the whistleblower during the proceedings. Is this kill team true?' Ridon said.
'I'm sure the mechanics then were different, but if it's the same kill team, I think it's very concerning,' he added.
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla earlier said some people who have been involved in the "death squads" that figured in the drug war under the Duterte administration may also be involved in the deaths related to the e-sabong or online cockfights during the pandemic.
The search for the bodies of the missing sabungeros in Taal Lake, where Patidongan said the bodies were dumped, is ongoing and has resulted in the recovery of hundreds of remains since the search began last month. —LDF, GMA Integrated News
