On August 30, 2021, this CCTV footage came from a resident living in Barangay San Lucas, San Pablo City, Laguna. The owner of the vehicle shown is Ricardo John John Lasco, a master agent of online cockfighting (e-sabong). At exactly 2 minutes and 6 seconds after the vehicle stops, a white car arrives.

A few meters behind it, another vehicle can be seen. The men riding in it quickly open the gate. Altogether, several men entered Lasco’s residence. Less than a minute later, the men are seen dragging Lasco away with what appears to be handcuffs on his wrists.

The men then got back into the white vehicle. But aside from Lasco, they also carried away items from the house. Later, according to Lasco’s relatives, the men introduced themselves as NBI agents. However, instead of bringing him to a precinct or the NBI headquarters, his family had no idea where he was taken, and no one could say where he could be found.

In their desperate search for Lasco, the family created a Facebook account. There, they posted the CCTV footage and the plate numbers of the getaway vehicles. They confirmed that while none of them were harmed during the incident, they questioned why — if the operation was legitimate and if there was truly a case against Lasco — the men also took their money, phones, wallets, jewelry, and even Lasco’s vault?

Due to the questionable nature of the arrest, Lasco’s family members — his wife, sister-in-law, mother-in-law, and cousin — bravely faced the Senate on the 22nd and identified Roy Navarete and Daril Panghangaan as two of the agents who abducted Lasco. What shocked the public even more was that these men turned out to be policemen from Laguna, part of the provincial intelligence unit.

As expected during the hearing, Panghangaan defended the operation as legitimate, claiming that based on their gathered intelligence, Lasco’s sudden wealth came from illegal activities. He was supposedly charged with large-scale estafa (fraud). But Lasco’s mother, Carmelita, denied all allegations, insisting her son was innocent and not involved in any illegal activity.

“He’s not a bad person. He was just working. We don’t make a living from gambling. We’ve been getting by for two years now. Taking care of fighting cocks was just his passion,” she said.

Navarete and Panghangaan both denied being part of the August 31 operation. Navarete claimed he wasn’t even in Laguna at the time, but could not say exactly where he was. Panghangaan said it was his day off, and he had been delivering soap, supported by a text message from a customer. Despite their excuses, the senators were not convinced. However, the Senate hearing yielded no justice.

Former PNP Chief Gen. Dionardo Carlos announced on March 21, 2022, that the two officers could no longer be arrested since the crime had happened long ago. As punishment, they were simply placed under detention — but in PNP terms, this doesn’t mean being dismissed. The usual punishment? Reassignment. The two were transferred from Laguna to Camp Crame in Quezon City. This decision angered not just the Lasco family but also the public.

Refusing to give up, Lasco’s family brought the matter to the Department of Justice (DOJ). In their submitted documents, they also implicated other policemen. But the DOJ found no probable cause and dismissed the charges against the others. Only the case against Panghangaan, Navarete, and another patrolman named Rigel Brosas continued.

While Lasco’s family was fighting for justice, it turns out their tragedy was not an isolated case. According to a report on January 13, 2022, six cockfighting enthusiasts (sabungeros) from Tanay, Rizal said goodbye to their families, stating they were headed to the Manila Arena for a derby event. But they were never seen again. Witnesses said that around 7:30 PM, they were forcibly taken into a van.

Their families reported them missing. Then-Senator Tito Sotto called on President Duterte to suspend all e-sabong operations in the country. But in March 2022, Duterte insisted that e-sabong was boosting the Philippine economy, generating ₱640 million monthly.

However, two months later, he finally suspended e-sabong operations. By the end of May 2022, the Senate Committee ordered the CIDG and NBI to investigate the company Lucky 8 Star Quest, owned by businessman Atong Ang.

Despite this, the year ended with little progress in the investigation. In February 2023, the CIDG released photos of suspects in the abduction of the six sabungeros from Manila Arena and offered a ₱6 million reward for information. Yet justice remained slow.

A documentary titled “Los Sabongeros”, released last year, revealed that not just 7, but 34 sabungeros were missing. Like the first group, they were abducted, handcuffed, loaded into vehicles, and never seen again. Some were violently kidnapped, others vanished quietly — like two men from Bulacan who never returned from a cockfight in Lipa, Batangas.

Authorities theorized that these victims may have accused someone of cheating in e-sabong. Since large amounts of money were involved, the operator might have become desperate and ordered their abduction. The documentary also claimed some families withdrew their complaints in exchange for millions.

One family that refused to settle was that of Edgar Malaca. Public suspicion about the slow progress grew. Even though authorities had clues, evidence, and even ATM footage showing suspects withdrawing money using the victims’ cards, only 3 police officers were arrested, and only 9 were charged.

People questioned why the investigation focused solely on Manila Arena guards and Laguna police when victims went missing in various provinces across Luzon.

Then, just last month, a major development occurred — one of the suspects offered to turn state witness. He revealed that the victims should not be called “missing sabungeros” — they are all dead. To protect his identity, he introduced himself as “Totoy,” one of six security guards at the Manila Arena.

Totoy disclosed that he and his fellow guards were charged with kidnapping and serious illegal detention. Initially released on bail, their bail was revoked after pressure from victims’ families. Fearing for his life in prison, Totoy decided to testify.

He told the Senate they were paid ₱2 million to abduct Lasco. The reason? Lasco was allegedly pirating e-sabong broadcasts. Totoy said Lasco was strangled with wire, his corpse tied with a sandbag and dumped to prevent it from surfacing. The same method was used for other victims.

This revelation stunned the public. People demanded that the lake be searched for the victims’ remains. But an article from Explained PH explained how unlikely that was. The bodies weren’t dumped in Taal’s crater lake but in the volcanic caldera around it.

While the lake supports aquatic life like tawilis and tilapia, diving past 170 feet reveals an environment so hot it can dissolve even human bones. Moreover, the Philippines lacks forensic limnologists and DNA-extracting equipment for underwater remains. Any post-mortem results could take up to four years — and may still be inconclusive.

Even if bones were recovered, DNA could be contaminated due to bacteria and microorganisms in the lake. What made this case more explosive was Totoy’s claim that the mastermind behind the killings was Charlie “Atong” Ang.

Totoy’s identity was later confirmed to be Julie Donon Padidongan, the former chief of security for Atong Ang’s cockfighting farms. He also named Eric de la Rosa and Engineer Celso Salazar as accomplices. De la Rosa monitored cheating and reported it to Ang, who then instructed Salazar to deploy police to abduct the sabungeros.

Donon confirmed longstanding rumors: actress Gretchen Barretto allegedly knew about the kidnappings and murders. He claimed she was fully aware because she was always with Ang. He pleaded for her cooperation.

He said he waited so long to speak because Ang’s wealth allowed him to bribe anyone — even top officials in the PNP and the Supreme Court.

When PNP Chief Gen. Nicolas Torre II assumed office, Donon finally had the courage to speak, believing that Torre was principled and incorruptible. He revealed that over 100 people, not just 74, had been abducted by Ang’s group.

Donon also claimed Ang’s camp offered him ₱300 million to retract his testimony. He alleged that Ang could buy even the highest government officials. In a recent interview, he said there’s now a ₱50 million bounty on his head, with police using drones to surveil his home.

Donon’s claim that Ang could bribe anyone was supported by others. In a 2022 interview, Ang himself admitted technology greatly boosted his business, with daily bets reaching ₱1-2 billion. After taxes and expenses, he still earned billions per month. The government earned ₱640 million in monthly taxes.

Ang’s camp denied all of Donon’s accusations. They claimed Donon tried to extort ₱300 million to stay silent. On July 3, Ang and his lawyers appeared before the media, announcing they had filed multiple charges against Donon for blackmail and defamation. They also vowed to block Donon from becoming a state witness, saying he lacked credibility.

As of this recording, the investigation continues. Only time will tell if the other five security guards will also come forward as state witnesses. Regardless of what new information comes out in the coming days, weeks, months, or even years, may the victims’ families finally find justice — and may those responsible be held accountable.