6 accused in missing ‘sabungero’ case ordered rearrested
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has asked a Manila court to order the rearrest of six individuals linked to the disappearance of six cockfighting enthusiasts or “sabungero” after the Court of Appeals (CA) denied their petition for bail.
Prosecutor General Richard Fadullon confirmed to the Inquirer on Wednesday that the DOJ National Prosecution Service had formally requested the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 40 to rearrest the six Manila Arena security personnel who face charges of kidnapping and serious illegal detention.
The accused were identified as Julie Patidongan, Mark Carlo Zabala, Virgilio Bayog, Roberto Matillano Jr., Gleer Codilla and Johnry Consolacion.
The Third Division of the appellate court earlier ruled that Presiding Judge Rebecca Guillen-Ubaña of the Manila RTC Branch 40 committed grave abuse of discretion by granting the petition for bail of the respondents despite the strong evidence of guilt against them.
Matter of discretion
“We emphasize that when the grant of bail is a matter of discretion, not a matter of right, the power must be exercised with great care and caution because of the risk and stakes involved, especially when the crime is a serious one,” the appeals court said in its decision issued on Dec. 20, 2024, penned by Associate Justice Apolinario Bruselas Jr.
The case stems from the disappearance of six cockfighting enthusiasts identified as Mark Joseph Velasco, Marlon Baccay, James Baccay, Rowel Gomez, John Claude Inonog and Rondel Cristorum, who were allegedly abducted by the accused and their cohorts.
Witnesses said that the victims were last seen on Jan. 13, 2022, as they were being taken to the basement of Manila Arena, after which they were forced into a gray van and never seen again.
On Jan. 20, 2023, the trial court found probable cause to issue arrest warrants against the six suspects, and after eight months, they were arrested by authorities.
In a resolution dated Dec. 11, 2023, the Manila court allowed the accused to post bail of P3 million each for their temporary liberty. It said the prosecution failed to show that the respondents detained the victims or deprived them of their liberty, as a witness had testified the victims voluntarily went with the security personnel.
In granting the Office of the Solicitor General’s petition for certiorari, the appellate court said the lower court incorrectly ruled that there was no deprivation of liberty simply because the victims voluntarily went with the respondents and boarded the van.
“All of their movements were supervised and controlled by the private respondents and other security personnel of Manila Arena. The methodical yet highly irregular manner by which the victims were brought to the basement shows the intent to deprive the victims of their liberty,” it added.
