DOJ warns of judicial infiltration in missing sabungero case

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla warned on Thursday that powerful figures with significant financial influence might be behind the missing sabungero case, potentially infiltrating even Philippine courts.

Remulla emphasized during an interview that discussions may need to take place with Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo about potential judicial security concerns due to the heavy weight of e-sabong money.

He noted that the possible mastermind claims they can influence even the Supreme Court and is part of a group of around 20 individuals, including some government officials and police officers, who run the billion-peso industry in a corporate setup.

Remulla assured reporters that the government would leave no stone unturned in building up the case against these powerful figures.

The DOJ is coordinating with various agencies to scour Taal Lake for the bodies of missing sabungeros, as alleged by a whistleblower, and is seeking assistance from Japan for retrieval operations.

A suspect in the case has come forward claiming that victims were strangled to death and buried in Taal Lake after being caught cheating in cockfights.