MANILA — A Manila court allowed six suspects in the "missing sabungeros" case to post bail, a Department of Justice (DOJ) official said on Friday.

The Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 40 granted the suspects bail for a total of P3 million each, Senior State Deputy Prosecutor Richard Fadullon said.

The six suspects who were allowed to post bail included Julie Patidongan and his companions Gleer Codilla, Mark Carlo Zabala, Virgilio Bayog, Johnry Consolacion and Roberto Matillano, Jr.

They are facing six counts of kidnapping and serious illegal detention charges over the alleged abduction of six individuals at the Manila Arena in January 2022.

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The bail amount for each of the cases for each individual amounts to P500,000.

Fadullon noted that the court declared that three elements in kidnapping were not proven by the prosecution, particularly the the act of detaining the missing individuals.

“Kasi ang huling alam lamang ng testigo is that nakita niyang isinasakay sa van at noong tinatanong sila kung may pamumuwersa o pananakot, wala naman daw silang nakita,” Fadullon said.

But he did not discount the possibility of filing a motion for reconsideration.

“There is a possibility that we might just file an MR, we have to discuss this with the prosecutor handling the case pero kahit pa naka-pending itong MR na ito iyong proseso ng paglalatag ng piyansa ng mga akusado ay patuloy na gumagalaw,” Fadullon said.

Jaja Pilarta, the partner of missing sabungero John Claude Inonog, lamented the decision of the court.

“Sa tagal ng pananahimik nila na wala silang binibigay na update ito pa ba ang pamasko nila sa amin na makakapyansa na yung ano, binigyan na ng pagkakataong makapagpyansa yung anim,” said Pilarta.

She said the relatives of the other missing sabungeros were equally disappointed.

“Nagmi-meeting-meeting pa kami kasi kahit yung iba na-low morale din kasi siyempre ang tagal na nanahimik eh ultimo police, lahat ng mga humahawak sa bawat case na, wala pa rin update sa amin,” Pilarta said.

“Akala naman namin may maganda silang balita tapos ngayon yun pala ang ibabalita sa amin, pwede na mag-bail pwede na magpyansa yung mga nakakulong,” she added.

The case of the missing sabungeros was earlier linked to match-fixing speculations. A Senate investigation had found the players were suspected of sabotaging their roosters so they would lose, while secretly betting on their opponents.

Filipinos from all walks of life wager millions of pesos on matches every week between roosters who fight to the death with razor-sharp metal spurs tied to their legs.

The sport, banned in many other countries, survived coronavirus pandemic restrictions by going online, drawing many more bettors who use their mobile phones to place wagers.

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— With a report from Agence France-Presse