Palace vows no cover-up in missing sabungeros case

Malacañang vowed Friday there would be no cover-up in the case of missing sabungeros, saying the investigation would continue following the recovery of a sack of bones in Taal Lake in Batangas.

During a press briefing, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro was asked for comment regarding the retrieval of the bones amid efforts to locate the remains of missing sabungeros or cockfighting enthusiasts in Taal Lake.

Castro said that with this development, there is really a need to identify the suspects behind the killings and disappearances of sabungeros.

"Sa Pangulo po, dapat po talaga ay mas alamin pa kung ito pong mga natagpuan ay talagang may kinalaman po sa nasabing kaso ng mga missing sabungeros. At kung ito po ay mapapatunayang talagang konektado, ito'y nagpapakita lamang na ang Pangulo at ang kasalukuyang administrasyon ay tutulong upang makamtan ang hustisya para sa mga biktima," Castro said.

(For the President, authorities should ascertain if the bones are related to the missing cockfight enthusiasts. If this would be the case, then it would show that the President and the current administration are determined to help victims attain justice.)

"At hindi po ito pababayaan, hindi po magkakaroon ng cover-up, tuluy-tuloy pa rin po ang pag-iimbestiga—iyan po ang nais ng Pangulo," she added. 

(There will be no let up, no cover-up. The investigation will continue—that's what the President wants.)

Castro earlier said the Marcos administration will not spare anyone in the pursuit of justice for the missing sabungeros and their families.

Earlier reports said the skeletal remains were found at the side of Taal Lake in Laurel, Batangas.

The Department of Justice said a team from the Philippine National Police–Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG), in coordination with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), retrieved a white sack containing what appeared to be charred human bones.

The DOJ said either the CIDG or the National Bureau of Investigation, through forensic examination, would certify whether the remains belong to humans.

Prominent personalities, including businessman Charlie "Atong" Ang and actress Gretchen Barreto, were implicated by accused Julie "Dondon" Patidongan in the case. Patidongan had claimed that the bodies of the sabungeros were thrown in the Taal Lake.

Ang's camp had filed a complaint affidavit against Patidongan with the Office of the Prosecutor in Mandaluyong City. The businessman said he was being extorted P300 million by Patidongan.

The complaint was for conspiracy to commit attempted robbery with violence against or intimidation of persons, grave threats, grave coercion, slander, and incriminating against innocent persons.

The camps of Ang and Barreto had already denied the accusations thrown by Patidongan. — VDV, GMA Integrated News