Prosecutors Seek Rearrest of Six in Cockfight Enthusiasts’ Abduction Case

In a significant development in the case involving the disappearance of six cockfight enthusiasts, known as ‘sabungeros,’ from a Manila arena in 2022, prosecutors have requested the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) to issue arrest warrants for six individuals implicated in the incident. Prosecutor General Richard Anthony Fadullon announced that the request was made during a hearing at the Manila RTC Branch 40 on Tuesday. The move follows a ruling by the Court of Appeals on December 20, 2024, which criticized the Manila court for improperly granting bail to the accused despite substantial evidence against them. The Court of Appeals, led by Associate Justice Apolinario Bruselas Jr., emphasized the need for careful discretion in granting bail, particularly in serious crimes. The accused, Julie Patidongan, Mark Carlo Zabala, Virgilio Bayog, Roberto Matillano Jr., Gleer Cedilla, and Johnry Consolacion, face charges of kidnapping and serious illegal detention. They were security personnel at the Manila Arena where video evidence showed them leading the victims, including Mark Joseph Velasco and others, to a van. A witness, Denmark Sinfuego, reported seeing the victims taken to the arena’s basement before being forced into a gray van.