'Missing sabungeros' search in Taal Lake affects demand for tawilis

Taal Lake Aquaculture Alliance Inc. on Wednesday said the demand for tawilis has declined amid the discovery of human bones in the body of water as authorities search for missing sabungeros or cockfighting enthusiasts.

“Ang tawilis po ngayon, isa rin po siguro sa dahilan dahil nga din po sa scare dito sa paghahanap ng mga sabungero,” the group’s director Engr. Mario Balazon told Dobol B TV in an interview.

(One of the reasons for the low demand for tawilis could be the scare from the search for missing sabungeros.)

“Pero ang tawilis po kasi ngayon ay season. Marami po talaga ring tawilis. Kaya siguro po, isa rin po sa factor. I mean, dumami ang supply, so yung supply and demand din po ang nagkokontrol sa ganyan,” he added.

(But now is the season for tawilis. There are really a lot of tawilis, so maybe it’s also one of the factors. I mean, the supply has increased, so the supply and demand also control that.)

Balazon noted that fishes from the lake are safe to eat based on the assessment of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).

He also noted that Taal Lake in Batangas is 24,000 hectares. Of which, only 2% is being used for aquaculture. The fish cages are spread out through the waters of nine towns.

According to him, the search for missing sabungeros only covers a small portion of the waters in Laurel town.

Five sacks with human bones have been recovered so far from Taal Lake since Thursday.

A total of 34 cockfighting enthusiasts have been reported missing from 2021 to 2022. According to the police, the missing personalities were kidnapped allegedly due to match fixing or cheating in the cockfighting games.

Whistleblower and co-accused Julie “Dondon” Patidongan claimed that the victims were already buried in Taal Lake.

He named businessman Atong Ang as a mastermind in the case and also linked actress Gretchen Barretto to the disappearances. Both have denied the allegations. —Joviland Rita/ VAL, GMA Integrated News