DNA testing on Taal Lake bones
Published on: Sat, Jul 12, 2025
By: ABS CBN News Text Size: Members of the Philippine Coast Guard deploy in the waters of Taal Lake off Talisay town in Batangas province on Thursday ahead of an organized search for the remains of dozens of cockfighting aficionados missing since 2021 to 2022. —NIÑO JESUS ORBETA MANILA: The Department of Justice confirmed the retrieval of a sack containing what appears to be burnt human bones in Taal Lake during the initial search for the missing cockfight enthusiasts. In a statement, the DOJ said the remains were visibly identified and recovered from the lake bed. 'This discovery could represent a significant breakthrough in the ongoing investigation,' the DOJ said. The DOJ emphasized that the operations was supposedly a 'technical site assessment' by the Philippine Coast Guard. But with the discovery, the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group or the National Bureau of Investigation will have to certify if the remains are indeed from a human being. DNA testing will also be conducted to determine if there is a match with any of the families of the missing individuals. 'While we proceed with caution and diligence, it offers renewed hope that we are closer to uncovering the truth and securing justice for the families of the missing,' the DOJ said. 'It was only a few meters from the shore. A CIDG team that was stationed on the lake shore, acting on information on where the possible jump-off point was, found the white sack not far from the shore. The DOJ and PCG teams were about 100 meters out and used a smaller boat to reach the shore to see what they had found.' 'The team decided to verify first whether it was human bones or not before releasing info. When CIDG made the determination, that was when we were comfortable to release the information,' the DOJ said. Authorities recovered the sack during the retrieval operations for the remains of missing cockfight enthusiasts (sabungero) allegedly dumped in Taal Lake, Batangas. Police Col. Geovanny Emerick Sibalo, provincial director of the Batangas police, told ABS-CBN News the sack was discovered about 10 meters from the shoreline. Julie Patidongan, one of the accused and a potential whistleblower in the case, earlier told media that over 100 victims were executed and dumped in the lake over suspicions of cheating in cockfight games. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available.
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