Latest news with #sabong
Times
07-07-2025
- Times
Murder mystery of missing Filipino cockfighters takes new twist
It began three years ago as a stubborn mystery: what had become of 34 men, all of them associated with the cockfighting business, who inexplicably disappeared in the Philippines? Today police believe the grisly answer is at the bottom of one of the country's lakes. An appeal has been made to Japan to lend unmanned drone submarines to probe the 560ft-deep Taal Lake, where they suspect that the remains of the murdered men lie. The testimony of a whistleblower has thrown open the case — which has dragged in a rich businessman and a prominent actress and exposed the dark side of cockfighting, one of southeast Asia's most popular diversions. The grim story started during the Covid-19 pandemic when gatherings for cockfighting, or sabong as it is known in the Philippines, became impossible. Instead, businesses began streaming the fights online and profiting from betting by locked-down gamblers across the country. In January 2022, sabungeros, who organised the fights, began to disappear. Some were teenage boys; several were bundled out of their homes by thugs and driven off never to be seen again. The speculation was that they had been abducted on the orders of gambling bosses who believed that the small-time sabungeros had cheated them. The police arrested six security guards, who were charged with kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment. Now one of them, a man named Julie Patidongan, alias Dondon, has given a detailed account of their grim fate and named those he claims are responsible for the killings. They include a businessman and 'gaming consultant' named Charlie 'Atong' Ang and the actress, singer and socialite Gretchen Barretto, who was allegedly an active investor in Ang's gambling business. 'They were always together,' Patidongan told Philippine media. 'She knows all of Mr Atong Ang's secrets.' Both Ang and Barretto deny any involvement in the disappearance of the cockfighters. Ang is suing Patidongan for defamation. The police, however, are taking his testimony seriously. The problem now is how to find any evidence in the large, acidic and notoriously deep volcanic lake. 'We will need technical divers to determine the veracity of the information,' Jesus Crispin Remulla, the Philippine justice secretary, said. 'It's not easy to go into a lake bed to look for human remains. 'I will speak to [whoever] would want to come here to tell the truth … Our very soul as Filipinos is at stake here. We must not allow money to become the only master of the Filipino people.'
CTV News
04-07-2025
- CTV News
Japan asked to aid in search for cockfighters allegedly killed by rogue police, dumped in Philippines lake
Lake Taal is seen in an undated photo. (Justineliza / Manila, Philippines -- The Philippines' justice secretary said Friday he has asked for Japan's technical assistance to help the search for dozens of cockfighting participants allegedly killed by rogue police and dumped in a lake south of Manila. The case is tied to a spate of mysterious disappearances in 2022 in the Southeast Asian nation's huge cockfighting industry, known locally as 'sabong.' Interest in the unsolved cases has surged since the televised appearance of a witness -- since identified as Julie 'Dondon' Patidongan, a recent mayoral candidate -- who claimed to know where bodies had been submerged in Lake Taal. Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla said Friday he now had multiple witnesses who could 'testify where (in the water) those missing persons were thrown.' He added that a group of 15 unnamed national police officers were under investigation and put on restricted duty. 'They carried out the executions,' he said. 'I just signed a letter for the Japanese government asking for assistance to enable us to do a lakebed mapping and... other technology that we need,' Remulla added. 'We need a scientific approach here. We cannot leave it to chance.' Located about two hours south of the capital, Taal Lake is home to an active island volcano and spans more than 230 square kilometres (89 square miles) with a depth of 172 metres (564 feet) in some places. Patidongan initially appeared in silhouette in an interview on local television outlet GMA before later revealing himself, saying he feared for his life. He has identified Charlie Ang, a man involved in livestreamed cockfighting operations, as the mastermind behind the disappearances. Ang has denied all charges and on Thursday filed a lawsuit accusing Patidongan, a former employee, of slander, threats and conspiracy to commit robbery. The justice department made a series of arrests in late 2022 of police and security personnel allegedly involved with the disappearance of 34 cockfight industry participants that Remulla said were 'probably dead'. Since his televised appearance, Patidongan has claimed the actual number could be as high as 100. Filipinos from all walks of life wager millions of dollars on matches every week between roosters who fight to the death with razor-sharp metal spurs tied to their legs. The sport, banned in many other countries, survived coronavirus pandemic restrictions by going online, drawing many more gamblers who use their mobile phones to place wagers. Former president Rodrigo Duterte banned the livestreaming of cockfights shortly before leaving office in 2022, but it has continued due to lax enforcement. AFP
CBS News
04-07-2025
- CBS News
After dozens of cockfighting participants allegedly killed by rogue police in Philippines, case takes a new twist
The Philippines' justice secretary said Friday he has asked for Japan's technical assistance to help the search for dozens of cockfighting participants allegedly killed by rogue police and dumped in a lake south of Manila. The case is tied to a spate of mysterious disappearances in 2022 in the Southeast Asian nation's huge cockfighting industry, known locally as "sabong." Interest in the unsolved cases has surged since the televized appearance of a witness -- since identified as Julie "Dondon" Patidongan, a recent mayoral candidate -- who claimed to know where bodies had been submerged in Lake Taal. Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla said Friday he now had multiple witnesses who could "testify where (in the water) those missing persons were thrown". He added that a group of 15 unnamed national police officers were under investigation and put on restricted duty. "They carried out the executions," he said. "I just signed a letter for the Japanese government asking for assistance to enable us to do a lakebed mapping and... other technology that we need," Remulla added. "We need a scientific approach here. We cannot leave it to chance." Located about two hours south of the capital, Taal Lake is home to an active island volcano and spans more than 89 square miles with a depth of 564 feet in some places. The Taal volcano not far from the Philippine capital Manila is seen on Oct. 16, 2024. It is considered one of the most active volcanoes in the Philippines and has been active again since January 2020. It forms a large caldera with a lake in which the volcanic island Volcano Island is located. Carola Frentzen/picture alliance via Getty Images Patidongan initially appeared in silhouette in an interview on local television outlet GMA before later revealing himself, saying he feared for his life. He has identified Charlie Ang, a man involved in livestreamed cockfighting operations, as the mastermind behind the disappearances. Ang has denied all charges and on Thursday filed a lawsuit accusing Patidongan, a former employee, of slander, threats and conspiracy to commit robbery. The justice department made a series of arrests in late 2022 of police and security personnel allegedly involved with the disappearance of 34 cockfight industry participants that Remulla said were "probably dead". Since his televized appearance, Patidongan has claimed the actual number could be as high as 100. Filipinos from all walks of life wager millions of dollars on matches every week between roosters who fight to the death with razor-sharp metal spurs tied to their legs. The sport, banned in many other countries, survived coronavirus pandemic restrictions by going online, drawing many more gamblers who use their mobile phones to place wagers. A 2022 Senate investigation revealed that daily bets on online cockfights tallied $52.4 million, the BBC reported. But after the men disappeared, the livestreamed fights came under scrutiny and former president Rodrigo Duterte eventually banned them, according to the BBC. In 2020, a police officer in the Philippines was killed during a raid on an illegal cockfight after a rooster's blade sliced his femoral artery. Philippine fighting cocks spar along a street in metropolitan Manila, Philippines, Thursday, June 28, 2018. Aaron Favila / AP Cockfighting operations have also made headline in the U.S. recently. Last month, more than 40 people were arrested after a cockfighting ring was broken up in South Florida. Earlier this year, hundreds of birds were euthanized after a joint investigation led to their seizure from an alleged cockfighting operation in Kansas.
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Yahoo
Philippines asks Japan's help searching lake for missing cockfighters
The Philippines' justice secretary said Friday he has asked for Japan's technical assistance to help the search for dozens of cockfighting participants allegedly killed by rogue police and dumped in a lake south of Manila. The case is tied to a spate of mysterious disappearances in 2022 in the Southeast Asian nation's huge cockfighting industry, known locally as "sabong". Interest in the unsolved cases has surged since the televised appearance of a witness -- since identified as Julie "Dondon" Patidongan, a recent mayoral candidate -- who claimed to know where bodies had been submerged in Lake Taal. Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla said Friday he now had multiple witnesses who could "testify where (in the water) those missing persons were thrown". He added that a group of 15 unnamed national police officers were under investigation and put on restricted duty. "They carried out the executions," he said. "I just signed a letter for the Japanese government asking for assistance to enable us to do a lakebed mapping and... other technology that we need," Remulla added. "We need a scientific approach here. We cannot leave it to chance." Located about two hours south of the capital, Taal Lake is home to an active island volcano and spans more than 230 square kilometres (89 square miles) with a depth of 172 metres (564 feet) in some places. Patidongan initially appeared in silhouette in an interview on local television outlet GMA before later revealing himself, saying he feared for his life. He has identified Charlie Ang, a man involved in livestreamed cockfighting operations, as the mastermind behind the disappearances. Ang has denied all charges and on Thursday filed a lawsuit accusing Patidongan, a former employee, of slander, threats and conspiracy to commit robbery. The justice department made a series of arrests in late 2022 of police and security personnel allegedly involved with the disappearance of 34 cockfight industry participants that Remulla said were "probably dead". Since his televised appearance, Patidongan has claimed the actual number could be as high as 100. Filipinos from all walks of life wager millions of dollars on matches every week between roosters who fight to the death with razor-sharp metal spurs tied to their legs. The sport, banned in many other countries, survived coronavirus pandemic restrictions by going online, drawing many more gamblers who use their mobile phones to place wagers. Former president Rodrigo Duterte banned the livestreaming of cockfights shortly before leaving office in 2022, but it has continued due to lax enforcement. cgm-cwl/jfx
France 24
04-07-2025
- France 24
Philippines asks Japan's help searching lake for missing cockfighters
The case is tied to a spate of mysterious disappearances in 2022 in the Southeast Asian nation's huge cockfighting industry, known locally as "sabong". Interest in the unsolved cases has surged since the televised appearance of a witness -- since identified as Julie "Dondon" Patidongan, a recent mayoral candidate -- who claimed to know where bodies had been submerged in Lake Taal. Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla said Friday he now had multiple witnesses who could "testify where (in the water) those missing persons were thrown". He added that a group of 15 unnamed national police officers were under investigation and put on restricted duty. "They carried out the executions," he said. "I just signed a letter for the Japanese government asking for assistance to enable us to do a lakebed mapping and... other technology that we need," Remulla added. "We need a scientific approach here. We cannot leave it to chance." Located about two hours south of the capital, Taal Lake is home to an active island volcano and spans more than 230 square kilometres (89 square miles) with a depth of 172 metres (564 feet) in some places. Patidongan initially appeared in silhouette in an interview on local television outlet GMA before later revealing himself, saying he feared for his life. He has identified Charlie Ang, a man involved in livestreamed cockfighting operations, as the mastermind behind the disappearances. Ang has denied all charges and on Thursday filed a lawsuit accusing Patidongan, a former employee, of slander, threats and conspiracy to commit robbery. The justice department made a series of arrests in late 2022 of police and security personnel allegedly involved with the disappearance of 34 cockfight industry participants that Remulla said were "probably dead". Since his televised appearance, Patidongan has claimed the actual number could be as high as 100. Filipinos from all walks of life wager millions of dollars on matches every week between roosters who fight to the death with razor-sharp metal spurs tied to their legs. The sport, banned in many other countries, survived coronavirus pandemic restrictions by going online, drawing many more gamblers who use their mobile phones to place wagers.
