Manila: There will be no cover-up in the missing 'sabungeros' (cockfight aficionados) case, Malaca±ang assured the public on Friday, following the recovery of bones in Taal Lake where the victims were allegedly dumped.
According to Philippines News Agency, in a press briefing, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. wants to know if the recovered skeletal remains belong to the missing sabungeros. 'Hindi po ito pababayaan. Hindi po magkakaroon ng cover-up. Tuloy-tuloy pa rin po ang pag-iimbestiga. Iyan po ang nais ng Pangulo (This will not be neglected. There will be no cover-up. The investigation will still continue. That is what the President wants),' Castro said in a press briefing.
If the findings prove that the suspected human remains matched the DNA of any of the missing sabungeros, the President and his administration would help the families of the victims in pursuit of justice, she said. 'Sa Pangulo po, dapat po talaga ay mas alamin pa kung ito pong mga natagpuan ay talagang may kinalaman po sa nasabing kaso ng mga missing sabungeros (To the President, it is really necessary to find out more about whether these findings are really related to the case of the missing sabungeros),' she said.
'At kung ito po ay mapapatunayang talagang konektado, ito'y nagpapakita lamang na ang Pangulo at ang kasalukuyang administrasyon ay tutulong upang makamtam ang hustisya para sa mga biktima (And if it is proven to be really connected, it only shows that the President and the current administration will help achieve justice for the victims).'
A sack containing suspected human remains was discovered when the Department of Justice (DOJ) and technical divers of the Philippine Coast Guard conducted a search for the sabungeros' remains in Taal Lake on Thursday. The DOJ said the bones were turned over to forensic experts for analysis. The search was carried out, following the claim of whistleblower Julie 'Dondon' Patidongan that the remains of the missing sabungeros were thrown into Taal Lake.
