ABS-CBN
Remulla: Authorities exhuming bodies as part of search for sabungeros
Authorities in Batangas are exhuming three bodies believed to be linked to e-sabong and the drug war as part of the search for missing sabungeros, according to Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla.
The exhumation is taking place near Taal Lake, with the Philippine Coast Guard conducting dive operations in the area.
Previously unclaimed remains found in 2020 were buried by police and are now being exhumed for identification purposes.
Justice Secretary Remulla emphasized the link between the drug war during the Duterte administration and the missing sabungeros case.
Remulla declined to comment on former President Rodrigo Duterte's assertion that the link between the drug war and the missing sabungeros case is 'preposterous.'
The Department of Justice has expressed openness to families who withdrew from the missing sabungeros case.
Remulla noted similarities between the people involved in enforced disappearances and drug war killings.
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Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla confirmed that two of the four sacks recovered from Taal Lake by the Philippine Coast Guard contained human remains, specifically ribs.
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Divers from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) began their search for the remains of missing sabungeros in Taal Lake on Thursday, July 10, 2025.
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Divers retrieved two more sacks believed to contain human bones from Taal Lake, Batangas, bringing the total to five sacks recovered.
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Malacañang has called for a deeper investigation into the reported disappearance of individuals linked to online and illegal cockfighting.
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The Philippine National Police (PNP) is expediting the forensic examination of items retrieved from Taal Lake, including those found in five sacks by the Philippine Coast Guard.
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