Malacañang said the alleged link of drug war crimes to the case of missing sabungeros gives more reason to undertake a more extensive and deeper investigation on their disappearance.

“Kung ganyan po ang nakikita sa mga imbestigasyon, mas lalo pa po dapat itong palawigin, iyong pag-iimbestiga rito dahil mukhang kone-konektado ang mga nagawang krimen – kung ito man po ay mapapatunayan (If that is what the investigations are showing, then the investigation should all the more be expanded, because it appears that the crimes committed are interconnected — if this is proven to be true),” Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said on Wednesday, July 9.

Castro, however, stressed that they are not saying those who were involved in the drug war are guilty of also being involved in the case of 34 missing cockfight enthusiasts.

President Marcos only wants to ensure that justice is served, she added.

“Hindi po natin sinasabi na sila na po ay guilty pero mas gusto po ng Pangulo, iuutos po talaga niya na dapat mabigyan ng hustisya ang mga nabiktima (We are not saying that they are already guilty, but the President wants, and will truly order, that justice must be served for the victims),” Castro said.

Last week, Marcos ordered the continuous and thorough investigation in the disappearance of the sabungeros, who went missing four years ago.

They went missing from April 2021 to January 2022 in various cockfighting arenas and the victims’ homes in Laguna, Batangas, Manila, and Bulacan.

Julie “Dondon” Patidongan alias “Totoy” has recently revealed that all of these men were already dead and their bodies were allegedly buried in Taal Lake in Batangas.