Two people, who are considered as key players in the abduction of some of the missing cockfighters, or sabungeros, are now under police custody after they were held and eventually transported back to the country, the Philippine National Police (PNP) disclosed on Thursday, July 31.

PNP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo said the two are actually brothers of “missing sabungeros” whistleblower Julie Patidongan, alias Totoy, who told the police that the they played some role in the kidnapping of the cockfighters.

They were identified as Elakim and Jose Patidongan and Fajardo said they were collared in a country in Southeast Asia and arrived in the Philippines on July 22.

According to Fajardo, Elakim was the one who withdrew from the ATM account of missing sabungero Melbert John Santos while Jose was seen in a CCTV camera as among those who escorted another missing sabungero, Michael Bautista, being escorted before the latter’s disappearance.

‘In the statements of Julie Patidongan, he mentioned about his two men who withdrew from the ATM in Batangas and escorted Michael Bautista. But he did not mention that these two are his brothers,” said Fajardo.

She said it was Brig. Gen. Romeo Macapaz, then director of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), who worked to establish the identity and track their location down.

And four days when he assumed the top CIDG post, or June 23 this year, Fajardo said Macapaz received information that the two already went out of the country.

But she said the operation to track down the Patidongan brothers were not that simple since during the operation, they were monitored to have moved to another Southeast Asian country.

The Patidongan brothers, however, were later tracked down and brought back to the country by CIDG operatives.

“The two gentlemen are very critical in the investigation,” said Fajardo, referring to the revelation made by alias Totoy who linked Atong Ang, policemen and some personalities in the case of the missing sabungeros.

Ang earlier denied the allegation and filed a case against Patidongan.

Fajardo said a background check revealed that Jose was convicted of a criminal case, the reason why he was presented to a court. Elakim, on the other hand, was collared for using a passport with a fake name.

With the two now under the custody of Philippine authorities, Fajardo expressed optimism that they would provide essential information to shed light on the case of the missing sabungeros.