Joselito Malig

Article (news)

Missing sabungeros

Michael Delizo

ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA — Four years since Erlindo Tahup vanished without a trace, his wife Perla and their four children continue to wait — holding on to hope despite the silence.</p><p>“Sana umuwi na siya sa amin ng mga anak ko kasi talagang lagi pa rin kami naghihintay sa kanya kahit gaano katagal,” she told ABS-CBN News on Friday.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/6/19/buried-underwater-doj-to-vet-new-claims-on-missing-sabungeros-case-1350">Buried underwater? DOJ to vet new claims on &#x27;missing sabungeros&#x27; case</a></div><p>(I hope he comes home to me and our children because we’re still waiting for him, no matter how long it takes.) </p><p>Erlindo is among the 34 sabungeros (cockfighting aficionados) who disappeared in April 2022 — a case that has haunted and devastated dozens of families. </p><p>In their modest home in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan province, time has moved slowly and painfully. The once-familiar face of Erlindo is no longer on the walls.</p><p>Perla has removed his photos — not because she’s forgotten, but to spare herself the daily torment of remembering.</p><p>“Sobrang hirap po talaga,” she said, her voice cracking with emotion.</p><p>(It’s been so hard, really.)</p><p>Left to raise four children on her own, Perla has done laundry and odd jobs just to make ends meet, acting as both mother and father in a home hollowed by absence. </p><p>But now, a brutal possibility has emerged.</p><p>A key suspect has claimed that the missing sabungeros were strangled and their bodies dumped into Taal Lake, Batangas.</p><p>The revelation cuts deep to Perla. </p><p>“Hindi naman po sila mga hayop ‘yon eh. Mga tao din po sila, may mga anak, may pamilya. Sana naman makonsensya sila, sabihin nila ang totoo,” she said.</p><p>(They weren’t animals. They were people, with children and families. I hope they grow a conscience and tell the truth.) </p><p>With the Department of Justice considering the suspect’s bid to turn state witness, Perla is caught between anguish and relief. </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/6/20/doj-taps-pcg-navy-divers-to-locate-remains-of-missing-sabungeros-in-taal-lake-1420">DOJ taps PCG, Navy divers to locate remains of missing sabungeros in Taal Lake</a></div><p>“Parang nabuhayan po kami. Biglang sumaya. Parang luminaw bigla,” she said. “Hindi po ‘yong kagaya ng dati na parang sinasabi ng mga tao na nakakulong lang, buhay. Pero sa ngayon po, parang binigyan kami ng linaw kung saan talaga sila nilagay.”</p><p>(It’s like we were brought back to life. We suddenly felt joy. It suddenly became clear. It’s not like before when people would say they were just detained somewhere, alive. Now it feels like we’ve been given clarity on where they were really taken.) </p><p>Even with this painful new understanding, Perla’s fight is far from over. She vows to keep going — not just for Erlindo, but for every family still waiting in the shadows of this tragedy.</p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xM85JO3AETA?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>A key suspect has claimed that the missing sabungeros were strangled and their bodies dumped into Taal Lake, Batangas.</p>

A key suspect has claimed that the missing sabungeros were strangled and their bodies dumped into Taal Lake, Batangas.

'Hindi sila hayop’: Family of missing sabungero caught between anguish, relief in new revelation

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'Hindi sila hayop’: Family of missing sabungero caught between anguish, relief in new revelation

Michael Delizo,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jun 20, 2025 06:21 PM PHT

Read More:

Bulacan

missing sabungero

Erlindo Tahup

Perla Tahup

sabungero

DOJ

PNP

Philippine Navy

Taal Lake

ANC

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