MANILA — President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has directed police and law enforcement agencies to strictly enforce the law in the case of the missing cockfighting enthusiasts, or sabungeros, including the immediate arrest of those involved, a Palace official said Wednesday.

“Iyan naman lagi ang mandato nila, ng mga PNP at ating law enforcement agencies, alam nila iyan. Ang utos ng Pangulo, kung ano ang nasa batas ipatupad,” Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said during a Palace press briefing.

“Kung nandiyan na ang warrant of arrest mas pabilisan ang pagtra-trabaho para po mapanagot ang dapat na mapanagot,” she added.

Castro made the statement following the issuance of arrest orders by the Sta. Cruz, Laguna Regional Trial Court against individuals facing charges of kidnapping and serious illegal detention in connection with the disappearance of several sabungeros.

Authorities said a total of 34 sabungeros went missing between 2021 and 2022, with investigators alleging that the abductions were linked to match-fixing or cheating in cockfighting events.

Last December, the Department of Justice filed charges against several individuals, including police officers, before various courts in relation to the case.

One of the suspects has implicated several high-profile individuals in the alleged abduction and killings, claiming that the victims’ remains were disposed of in Taal Lake.