2021–2022 Luzon sabungero disappearances

Between April 2021 and January 2022, at least 34 cockfight enthusiasts, or sabungeros (from Filipino sabong, meaning "cockfight"), went missing from various areas of Luzon, Philippines.^[2] Most of the disappearances occurred in Laguna, where 19 of the missing are from, but other cases were also reported in Batangas, Bulacan, Manila, and Rizal. At least one sabungero was confirmed to have been kidnapped.^[3] The victims have been referred to by the media as the missing sabungeros, sparking national media attention.^[4][5][6]

Almost nothing was known about the disappearances until June 2025, when a suspect came forward to authorities, claiming that the individuals may have been killed and disposed of in Taal Lake. The suspect further alleged that nearly 100 people were killed—far more than the 34 initially reported. The suspect also implicated businessman Atong Ang and former actress Gretchen Barretto in the abductions of the sabungeros, though both denied any involvement in the case.^[7] The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) announced that they would review and investigate the allegation as part of their ongoing investigation.

The first documented disappearance was on April 28, 2021, when two men were seen escorting Michael Bautista in handcuffs in Santa Cruz, Laguna.^[8] A cellphone video recorded on May 11, 2021, showed two more sabungeros in Santa Cruz before their disappearances.^[9]

On August 30, 2021, a group of men stormed the house of 48-year-old Ricardo Lasco in San Pablo, Laguna. Several minutes later, Lasco was escorted out of the house with a box reportedly containing jewelry, watches, and money; he has not been seen since. According to his relatives, Lasco was a chicken breeder and a "master agent" of online cockfighting, known locally as e-sabong.^[10] Lasco's brother said that the armed men who stormed Lasco's house identified themselves as NBI agents and presented an arrest warrant, charging Lasco with "large-scale estafa". At least two police officers were implicated, but both denied their involvement.^[11] According to San Pablo chief of police Gary Alegre, the NBI did not conduct an operation that day. Senator Ronald dela Rosa suggested that e-sabong "website cloning" or spoofing might have led to Lasco's disappearance.^[12]

On January 5, 2022, brothers Jeffrey and Nomer Depano of Hagonoy, Bulacan, failed to return home after a cockfight event in Lipa, Batangas. Their van was found abandoned two days later, near a bridge along the MacArthur Highway, with their clothes inside.^[13] According to their parents, Jeffrey was brought by Nomer due to a lack of players at the event and had no previous experience in cockfighting.^[14] The day after the Depano brothers' disappearance, three more sabungeros from Hagonoy—Edgar Malaca, Alexander Quijano, and Atong Sacdalan—were reported missing after telling their families that they were going to Lipa for an e-sabong event.^[13]

On January 13, 2022, four cockfighting players went missing from the Manila Arena in Santa Ana, Manila;^[15] six more players from the same area followed.^[16] CCTV footage from that day showed a convoy of vehicles driving away from the arena, including a Toyota Tamaraw FX driven by the neighbors of a cockfight player who went missing in Rizal. The FX stopped on Osmeña Highway, where an unknown man was seen getting out of the car and into the tailing car.^[17] A day after the disappearances of some of the cockfight players in Laguna, an unidentified man was captured on CCTV withdrawing money using an ATM card belonging to one of the sabungeros. The victim's wife said that over ₱29,000 was stolen from her husband's bank account. A concerned person offered a reward of ₱250,000 for anyone who could provide the man's identity.^[18]

The disappearances were first reported by local news outlets on January 18, 2022.^[19] Three weeks later, on February 4, 2022, a luxury car used to transport cockfight enthusiasts was found abandoned at a restaurant in Malate, Manila, with its engine running. Police investigators looked into the incident as a possible kidnapping but could not find any evidence.^[20]

On February 8, 2022, the PNP said they had identified a number of persons of interest in connection to the missing cockfight enthusiasts. The police said that investigators talked to the cockfight arena managers and security guards and were eyeing match fixing and double-crossing^[10] as potential causes of the disappearances.^[21]

On February 17, DOJ Secretary Menardo Guevarra ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to investigate the disappearance of over 20 sabungeros.^[22] The Philippine Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs, chaired by Senator Ronald dela Rosa, filed Senate Resolution No. 996 on February 28;^[23] the resolution urged the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) to suspend the operation of e-sabong.^[24]

On February 25, Facebook posts appeared online showing pictures of dead bodies, claiming that they were those of missing cockfight enthusiasts that were found in Tanay, Rizal or in Bulacan. Police debunked the claim, however, proving that the photos were taken on February 12 during a police investigation of a shootout in Guindulungan, Maguindanao (today Maguindanao del Sur).^[25][26] They condemned the post as misinformation attempting to derail their investigation.^[27]

On March 16, police identified eight people involved in the disappearances.^[28] Five days later, witnesses implicated businessman Atong Ang in the disappearances of the cockfight players; Ang denied the allegations.^[29]

On October 8, authorities said that they traced the location of cellphones belonging to two of the missing people through their IMEI number; police did not publicize the location.^[30] The CIDG released composite sketches of the two men.^[31] The following day, the family of one missing man filed complaints of kidnapping and illegal detention against a farm manager and a security officer.^[32]

The DOJ announced on December 19 the indictment of three police officers in connection with the robbery and kidnapping of Richard Lasco on August 30, 2021.^[33] On February 13, 2023, police released photos of six Manila Arena security guards allegedly involved in the disappearances.^[34] DOJ Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla offered a ₱6 million reward to anyone who could provide information about the suspects.^[35]

In June 2025, one of the suspects expressed his willingness to testify in court, stating that he wished to come forward due to threats to his life and his family, as well as a desire to admit to his past wrongdoings.^[36][37] The suspect informed the families of the missing sabungeros that they may have already been killed and buried in Taal Lake. He claimed they were strangled using tie wires in what he described as being "killed softly". He further alleged that individuals caught cheating in cockfights were rounded up and turned over to another group, which he declined to identify. The suspect also stated that the cockfight enthusiasts were restrained using plastic ties and transported in a van. He claimed that the number of those killed was significantly higher than initially reported, alleging that nearly 100 cockfighting workers were killed, not just the 34 previously identified missing cockfight enthusiasts.^[38][39]

In an interview, Remulla stated that the claim may be credible and would be reviewed as part of the ongoing case buildup. Meanwhile, the PNP expressed its willingness to investigate the claim that the remains of the missing sabungeros were buried in Taal Lake.^[40]

The families of 18 sabungeros held a protest on Mendiola Street in Manila on January 31, 2022, calling for the government to speed up the investigation.^[20] On February 12, Senator Leila de Lima expressed concern about the missing cockfighters and criticized the "seemingly slow pace of [the] investigation".^[41] Three days later, the families held a prayer vigil at the Commission on Human Rights headquarters in Quezon City.^[10]

On March 17, President Rodrigo Duterte raised the possibility that the missing 36 sabungeros were dead. Dela Rosa also said that the missing sabungeros were presumed dead due to the lack of recovered remains. Duterte rejected an earlier appeal by the Senate to suspend e-sabong operations, saying that it would cost the Philippine government about ₱640 million (US$12.15 million) per month in revenue, adding up to billions of pesos annually. He noted that the disappearances of the sabungeros were not the fault of the e-sabong management but of bad actors involved in e-sabong events.^[42] On May 4, Duterte ordered the termination of e-sabong operations due to the social cost of the gambling activity.^[43]

An investigative documentary film titled Lost Sabungeros from GMA Public Affairs and GMA Pictures was supposed to premiere on at the 2024 Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival.^[44][45] However, this showing was cancelled due to unspecified "security concerns",^[46] with its premiere held instead at the QCinema International Film Festival in November 2024.^[47]

• Disappearance of Catherine Camilon
• List of kidnappings
• List of people who disappeared