THE Department of Justice (DOJ) will continue prosecuting the cases involving the missing sabungeros, or cockfight enthusiasts, even as several victims’ families have stopped communicating with prosecutors.
Prosecutor General Richard Anthony Fadullon said on Thursday cockfighting-related cases from Laguna (Santa Cruz and San Pablo) and Batangas (Lipa) were moved to Quezon City, where prosecutors are presenting evidence and opposing the defendants’ bail requests.
“The public prosecution does not have to have a complainant to stand on its own,” Fadullon said.
He said prosecutors had initially kept in touch with the families who had sought government assistance in finding their missing relatives. But after the cases were filed, some complainants stopped responding to the DOJ’s calls.
Fadullon said the absence or withdrawal of the families primarily affects the civil aspect of the cases, particularly claims for damages arising from the loss, suffering and economic impact of their relatives’ disappearance.
The criminal aspect is different, he said, because prosecutors are seeking to establish the criminal liability of the accused through evidence presented in court.
He also said that the retractions of some families will not automatically derail the criminal cases because prosecutors have other evidence to establish criminal liability.
“The criminal aspect is not dependent on the absence or presence of the families of the victims,” Fadullon said.
The cases include charges of kidnapping and kidnapping with serious illegal detention. The Supreme Court earlier approved the transfer of three cases from courts in Laguna and Batangas to Quezon City.
Fadullon clarified that the separate obstruction-of-justice complaint against individuals linked to the legal team of businessman Charlie “Atong” Ang has no bearing on the criminal cases involving the missing sabungeros.
Asked about reports of possible settlements with some families, Fadullon declined to speculate on the reasons behind their decision to quit the case. He said, however, that financial compensation and criminal accountability are separate matters.
“There is no price for the life of any individual. No amount can pay for that,” he said.
Charlene Lasco, the sister of missing e-sabong master agent Ricardo “Jonjon” Lasco Jr., is the only family member who continues to attend the hearings on the case, he said.
Fadullon also said that efforts to locate and arrest Ang are now primarily a law-enforcement concern, with the DOJ maintaining coordination with the Philippine National Police and other agencies.
The DOJ has said Ang is the only one among the respondents who is still at large
