Prosecutors may pursue murder charges against suspects in the disappearance of missing sabungeros (cockfight enthusiasts) even if the victims’ remains are not recovered, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ), clarifying that the absence of bodies does not bar the filing of criminal cases.

DOJ spokesperson Assistant Secretary Mico Clavano explained that under Philippine law, a murder conviction is still possible without the physical body of the victim as long as the prosecution can establish the fact of death before the court. 

This statement comes as authorities continue searching Taal Lake in Batangas for the remains of the missing sabungeros allegedly dumped there.

“It is not absolutely necessary to find the body of the victim to prove the crime of murder,” Clavano said, emphasizing the legal doctrine of corpus delicti, which requires proof that a crime was committed, not necessarily the presentation of a body.

Clavano noted that evidence such as photos or videos of the killing may establish the fact of death in the absence of physical remains, and that these alternative forms of proof can support the prosecution’s case.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said authorities are looking into potential links between the suspects in the missing sabungeros case and extrajudicial killings during the previous administration’s war on drugs, citing the possible involvement of hired killers operating across illegal activities.

“The people who undertake contractual killings may intersect somehow with the drug war and with the e-sabong,” Remulla said in an interview, noting that the ongoing search in Taal Lake may extend indefinitely in light of testimonies alleging that over 100 bodies of sabungeros were dumped there.

Meanwhile, Remulla also revealed that the Supreme Court has opened an investigation into allegations that judges were being “fixed” in connection with the case of the 34 missing sabungeros.

Remulla said the high court has begun looking into “any kind of behavior that we notice to be detrimental to the justice system.” 

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