At least 15 cops in the Philippines were taken into custody as part of the investigation into the dumping of the bodies of dozens of men murdered over allegedly rigged cockfights several years ago, the AP reports, citing a Monday announcement from the national police chief.
The victims went missing around 2021 and 2022 mostly while on their way to or from cockfighting arenas dotting the main northern Philippine island of Luzon, including in the metro Manila capital area, their bodies dumped in the lake surrounding active volcano Mount Taal south of Manila.
“I was very shocked,” National police chief General Nicolas Torre III said when asked about the informant, known only as “Toytoy” whose tips led to the arrests. “It firmed up our resolve to really solve this because what happened was savage and not acceptable by any standard.” It’s not clear if Torre was referring to the cockfighting and the murders or just the murders.