Manila, July 9 -- The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday said the recovery of the victims' remains is not necessary in case prosecutors push through with murder charges against those behind the disappearance of the missing "sabungeros" (cockfight afficionados).

In a message to reporters, DOJ spokesperson Assistant Secretary Mico Clavano said "it is not absolutely necessary to find the body of the victim to prove the crime of murder."

"This legal principle is consistent with the doctrine of corpus delicti, which refers not to the body of the deceased, but to the fact that a crime has been committed," he said.

The DOJ official explained that a conviction is still possible without producing the body as long as the fact of death is p...