By Benjamin Pulta | Philippine News Agency
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla on Monday said investigators are eyeing possible links of individuals allegedly behind the case of the missing “sabungeros” and extrajudicial killings (EJKs) during the past administration’s war on drugs.
“I think that the deaths might intersect more on the death squads. The people who undertake the contractual killings may intersect somehow with the drug war and with the e-sabong. Same, may mga taong involved sa pagpatay ng tao sa drug war and in e-sabong. That’s as far as we can trace right now, but we will have to establish clearer links to each other,” Remulla said in a media interview.
Because of this, Remulla said they expect the ongoing search in Taal Lake in Batangas City to extend indefinitely.
Technical divers from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Thursday searched portions of the bed of Taal Lake for remains of the missing ‘sabungeros’ allegedly dumped there.
Whistleblower Julie Patidongan, alias “Totoy,” claimed that more than 100 bodies of sabungeros were dumped in the lake.
“We don’t know, there can be more kasi sa drug war, ang dami din nawalang tao. In accordance with the testimony of alias Totoy, there are more than 100 victims in e-sabong alone. Kaya lang, mukhang nakasanayan ng magtapon talaga roon. Parang gano’n na ang nangyari,” Remulla said.
Meanwhile, Remulla said the DOJ will be contacting forensic pathologist Raquel Fortun to assist in the processing of any remains recovered.
“She’s (Fortun) under medical furlough now. But she is being touted or being asked to head the Philippine Forensics Institute, which we are establishing. And she will be helping us,” he said.
He said the DOJ is also in close coordination with the Philippine National Police (PNP) crime lab on the identification of possible remains.
Remulla also dismissed critics who are claiming that partisan politics is behind the efforts of the government to investigate.
“You know, with this case, our whole justice system is on trial. Believe me, there’s more to it that meets the eye. Tsaka ‘yong mga hindi sinasabi dati, lumalabas ngayon kasi. It’s about time we face the demons in our system,” he said.
“This country is full of politics and troll farms that always want to spoil whatever good things that we can do as a country. And that’s part of politics; it’s the politics that they want to practice. So be it.”
