On June 26, Philippine Justice Minister Jesus Crispin Remulla warned that the mastermind behind the "cockfighting disappearance case" has a powerful influence, even capable of intervening in the judicial system. It is alleged that the mastermind once claimed to be able to "influence the Supreme Court," possibly using the substantial funds from the e-sabong (electronic cockfighting) industry to manipulate judicial proceedings.
This case involves the disappearance of at least 34 people, concentrated between April 2021 and January 2022. The Department of Justice stated that it is currently coordinating with the armed forces, navy, and coast guard to plan a deep dive search in Taal Lake to investigate whether there are bodies of victims submerged at the bottom of the lake.
A key suspect "Totoy" told investigators that a well-known female artist had attended the core meeting of the organization, suspected of having insider knowledge of the case. The identity of the mastermind has not been disclosed by the Department of Justice, but it pointed out that the criminal group has a complete structure, operates like a corporation, and includes more than 20 members, some of whom are from within the government and law enforcement system.
Remulla emphasized that the electronic cockfighting industry was once a source of billions of pesos in illegal funds, posing a serious threat to national security. He plans to meet with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court as soon as possible to discuss the potential impact of this case on the independence of the judicial system.
Police spokesperson Brigadier General Fahardo revealed that the "bounty" for each victim is 500,000 pesos, showing that the criminal network is highly organized. He added that to prevent the involved officers from fleeing, the identities of 20 involved officers have not been disclosed yet, but stressed that regardless of the position of the involved parties, they will be held accountable according to the law, without any cover-up.
