2021–2022 Philippines sabungeros disappearance

The first reported disappearance of a sabungero was recorded on May 10, 2021 in Santa Cruz, Laguna.[1] As of March 4, 2022, a total of 34 sabungeros are still missing: 19 in Laguna, six in Manila, six in Batangas and two in Bulacan, and one was kidnapped in Laguna.[2]

On August 30, 2021, a CCTV footage showing a group of men stormed the house of 48-year-old Ricardo Lasco in San Pablo, Laguna. Several minutes later, Lasco was seen escorted out of the house, along with the box allegedly containing jewelries, watches, and money, before riding away. Lasco has since not been found.[3] According to his relatives, Lasco was a chicken breeder and a "master agent" of online sabong.[3]

On January 5, 2022, two residents named Jeffrey and Nomer Depano from Hagonoy, Bulacan, did not return home after they went to Lipa, Batangas. The Depano brothers were driven in a separate van, which was later found abandoned two days later near a bridge. The police found the clothes still inside the van.[4] Their mother said that Jeffrey had no knowledge about the cockfight.[5] On January 6, also in Hagonoy, other three residents were reportedly missing after they told to their respective families that they were going to Lipa to supposedly attend an online sabong.[4] On January 7, a man and a his pregnant girlfriend also went missing after they went to the cockfight area.[6] On January 13, 2022, four cockfighting players went missing from the Manila Arena.[7] It was followed by six more players at the same area.[8] A January 13 CCTV footage showing a convoy of vehicles driving away from the Manila Arena in Santa Ana, Manila; one of them is Toyota Tamaraw FX ridden by the neighbors of a cockfight player who went missing in Rizal.[9] The FX was shown stopping at the Osmeña Highway where a man was seen getting out of the car and transferred to the tailing car. A man was not known by the relatives of the missing sabungeros in Rizal.[9]

On January 31, 2022, relatives of 18 enthusiasts held a protests in Mendiola to call the government to speed up the investigation.[6] On February 4, 2022, a luxury car used to transport the cockfight enthusiasts was found abandoned in a restaurant in Malate, Manila with its engine still running.[6] The police looked for the possible kidnapping case but there is no evidence that the missing cockfight enthusiasts were kidnapped in Manila and stated that the enthusiasts were seen getting out alive.[6]

On February 8, 2022, the Philippine National Police said that they identified the persons of interest in connection to the missing cockfight enthusiasts.[10] The police said that the investigators reportedly talked to the cockfight arena managers and the security guards before the disappearance took place.[10] The investigators eyed for "game fixing" and a so-called "double-cross" in fights[3] as the cause of the disappearances.[10] On February 12, 2022, Senator Leila de Lima expressed concern over the missing cockfight players, and also lamented for "seemingly slow pace of investigation".[11]

On February 15, the relatives of missing cockfight enthusiasts held a prayer vigil in front of the Commission of Human Rights (CHR).[3] On February 17, 2022, Department of Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to investigate the disappearance of over 20 sabungeros.[12]

On February 24, the Senators called for the suspension of operations and licenses of online sabong in the country.[13] Senator Panfilo Lacson, former PNP chief (1999–2001), warned that the PNP would be a "slap" if they do not solve the missing sabungeros while Senator Ronald dela Rosa, also a former PNP chief (2016–2018), urged the police to double-time the investigation.[14] On February 25, a social media post claiming that the bodies of alleged missing cockfight enthusiasts were found in Tanay, Rizal; however, the police debunked the claim, proving that the images were taken on February 12, 2022, when the police investigated the ambush in Guindulungan, Maguindanao where 12 people killed and three others injured.[15][16] The police condemned the post, stating that the misinformation was an attempt to derail their investigation.[17] In the hearing of Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs, the sibling of one of the missing enthusiasts, Ricardo Lasco Jr., said that, on August 30, 2021, the armed men identified themselves as the NBI stormed their house where they presented the warrant of arrest but refused to identified themselves and explaining that Lasco was charged for "large scale estafa". They also confiscated his mobile phone. According to San Pablo City Chief of Police Lt. Col. Gary Alegre, he denied that the NBI conducted the legitimate operation on that day. When lawmakers questioned the relatives of the victims, it appears that possible e-sabong website cloning was one of the reasons why Lasco was abducted.[18]

On March 16, the police identified eight persons involved in the disappearances.[19] On March 17, Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte said that the sabungeros are "killed". Duterte also defended the e-sabong, stating that it "is not the fault of the management."[20] At least two police officers were implicated in abduction of Lasco in Laguna but both denied their involvement.[21]

• List of kidnappings
• List of people who disappeared