The Department of Justice (DOJ) is seeking the reissuance of arrest warrants against six individuals accused in the missing sabungeros case, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla announced on Monday.
“Hihingin natin na mag-issue ulit ng warrant of arrest para matapos na ito nang maayos,” Remulla said in an ambush interview. (We will ask for the arrest warrants to be issued again so we can resolve this properly.)
Court of Appeals Cancels Bail
In January 2025, the Court of Appeals (CA) ruled that the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 40 committed grave abuse of discretion in granting bail to the accused. As a result, the bail was canceled, and the National Prosecution Service immediately sought their rearrest.
The six accused—Julie Patidongan, Gleer Codilla, Mark Carlo Zabala, Virgilio Bayog, Johnny Consolacion, and Roberto Matillano Jr.—had posted ₱3 million each for temporary liberty in December 2023.
Why Another Arrest Warrant?
Despite the bail cancellation, Remulla explained that an individual cannot be deprived of liberty without a valid legal process, necessitating a new arrest warrant from the court.
The Case of the Missing Sabungeros
The accused face six counts of kidnapping and serious illegal detention over the disappearance of six sabungeros—John Claude Inonog, Rondel Cristorum, Mark Joseph Velasco, Rowel Gomez, and brothers James and Marlon Baccay.
The victims were last seen on January 13, 2022, leaving Tanay, Rizal, for a cockfighting event at the Manila Arena. Reports indicate they were forced into a gray van at around 7:30 p.m., after which they were never seen again.
The DOJ continues to push for justice in one of the country’s most high-profile cases of missing persons linked to illegal gambling operations.