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The Star

Search for missing cockfighters begins at lake in murder probe

Gruelling endeavour: Coast guard personnel preparing to depart to the site where the bodies of cockfighters were allegedly dumped, in Taal Lake off Talisay town, Batangas province, south of Manila. — AFP Search teams arrived at a lake south of the capital Manila to look for dozens of cockfighters allegedly murdered by rogue police, the Justice Depart­ment said. Fifteen police officers are under investigation over a spate of mysterious disappearances in 2022 in the cockfighting industry. The case went back into the public eye last month with the televised appearance of a witness claiming to know where bodies had been submerged in Lake Taal. Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla has since said that he has 'multiple witnesses' who can identify the location of the missing in the lake, which spans more than 230sqm. 'The purpose of (yesterday's mission) is to ... identify the area covered by the search, see initial water conditions and to measure the depth of covered area,' the department said in a statement. The Philippine Coast Guard will participate in the preliminary assessment alongside police. National Police Chief Nicolas Torre this week said authorities needed to act swiftly. 'The typhoon season is coming in,' he told journalists on Tuesday. 'We are moving fast to at least try to locate the bodies. We know that it is very, very challenging.' Remulla said he had requested technical assistance from Japan including help with mapping the lake bed, parts of which are as deep as 172m. The Japanese embassy in Manila said it had received the request without providing further details. But Torre believes the Philip­pines had the necessary equipment on hand to begin the search. Some wager millions of dollars on matches weekly between roosters who fight with razor-sharp metal spurs tied to their legs. Former president Rodrigo Duterte banned the livestreaming of cockfights shortly before leaving office in 2022, but it has continued due to lax enforcement. — AFP