EDITORIAL - Buried in the lake

Remember the e-sabong aficionados? To this day, no one knows what happened to 34 cockfighting enthusiasts who went missing between April 2021 and January 2022.

One of the security guards at the Manila Arena who were arrested and indicted for the kidnapping confirmed in a television interview the worst fears of the missing men: the 34 are dead, with their remains thrown into Taal Lake.

Whether or not the suspect, who reportedly wants to turn state witness, is telling the truth may be difficult to prove with physical evidence. Taal Lake surrounds volcano island and the lakebed itself is volcanic and prone to liquefaction – meaning a cadaver or object can be swallowed up in the lake bottom, never to be seen again.  

Circumstantial and other material evidence, however, may be dug up to affirm the suspect’s story, and finally end the uncertainty of the bereaved families. It might also lead to the other perpetrators and, more importantly, the brains behind the disappearance of the 34. Justice will give the families closure.

Apart from pursuing justice, the government must also move to understand why e-sabong would generate such a heinous offense. Why would anyone resort to kidnapping and murdering 34 people over online cockfights?

There have been speculative reports about these cases, many of them with a common thread: some games were allegedly rigged, with the missing sabungeros suspected of involvement, and violent types including state security forces among those who lost substantial amounts as a result.

There is persistent speculation that a person suspected to be the brains behind the kidnapping and likely execution of the 34 engineered the crime to appease these violent types and save himself from lethal retribution.

The story narrated by the potential state witness may help determine whether or not these speculations are true. The suspect’s story should at least provide leads on the brains behind the disappearances. Law enforcement agencies must pursue the truth with more vigor, and there should be no sacred cows.