DOJ eyes Japan tech in search for missing cockfighters

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Justice (DOJ) hopes to use Japanese technology to help find the remains of “sabungeros” (cockfighting aficionados) who have been missing since 2021 and are believed to have been killed and dumped in Taal Lake in Batangas and Cavite.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said in a television interview that the search for the bodies of at least 34 individuals remains problematic despite the emergence of “Totoy,” a former suspect who wants to turn state witness, in the four-year-old case.

“I have instructed my staff to draft a letter to the Japanese government and to ask for their (remote operating vehicles) and the equipment that comes with them,” Remulla said on ANC on Wednesday.

The device, he said, will help investigators see and document whatever can still be found at the muddy bottom of the lake, which covers an area of more than 230 square kilometers and has an average depth of 100 meters.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) admitted that the operation was a “challenging deployment” but assured the public that it has the proper equipment and training for the mission.

“What we see as the challenge is the depth and width of Taal Lake. We have 174 meters in [maximum] depth. Although our technical divers have experience ..., they have only dived up to 100 meters in depth,” said Captain Noemie Guirao-Cayabyab, the PCG spokesperson.

At least 60 technical divers of the PCG are standing by for the start of the search and are only waiting for the go-signal from the DOJ, Guirao-Cayabyab said.

The Commission on Human Rights, which conducted an investigation of the case in 2021, asked the DOJ to also protect Totoy to encourage more witnesses to come forward.

In his bid to be a state witness, Totoy told investigators over the past two months that the missing cockfighters were strangled and their bodies later dumped in Taal Lake, a site he alleged was also used for disposing of drug bosses.

“I think he is very credible. I think he has presented enough proof,” Remulla said. “He knows everything to the extent that we have access to the documents these people used ... because even in the killings, there [were] vouchers issued so those assigned to carry them out [could] claim money.”

Totoy claimed that the payment for the killing of each cockfighter allegedly reached up to P500,000, Remulla said, adding that while there are currently 34 known victims, the number could rise to as many as 100. /cb

(2025/06/26-05:36)