The Department of Justice (DOJ) yesterday confirmed the recovery of two more sacks from the lakebed following the commencement of search and retrieval operations in Taal Lake.
In an ambush interview, DOJ spokesperson Mico Clavano stressed that they will proceed with caution as they continue the search in the lake.
“What we did was we sent prosecutors and NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) agents to witness the retrieval of the sacks. The prosecutors, the NBI, the PCG (Philippine Coast Guard), and the PNP-CIDG (Criminal Investigation and Detection Group) are also there. We move forward with caution because we still do not know what is in those sacks. It is also possible that the contents are not bones, but we are hoping for the best,” he said.
About 24-48 hours is needed to ascertain that what was found are human bones, Clavano explained.
The DOJ official said if the bones turn out to be human, whether or not they can be directly linked to the “missing sabungeros,” authorities have their work cut out for them.
“Step one, we have to certify that these are human remains, step two, if they do not match the DNA of the missing individuals’ relatives, then we have just opened a new case,” he told reporters in a mixture of Filipino and English.
Clavano underscored the importance of maintaining the chain of custody to enable them to certify the evidence gathered from the lake.
He urged the families of the missing individual to stay patient as the authorities do everything to retrieve what may be found in the lake.
Meanwhile, Malacañang vowed full transparency following the discovery of the bones that may shed light on the long-unsolved case.
Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said President Marcos has directed concerned agencies to thoroughly investigate the development, calling it a potentially significant lead in the case.
“It is really important to further investigate if these things that were found are truly related to the said case of the missing sabungeros,” Castro said during a press briefing.
She emphasized that if forensic results confirm a connection, the government will ensure that justice is served for the victims and their families.
“This only shows that the President and the current administration will help to achieve justice for the victims. And this will not be neglected, there will be no cover up,” she said.
On Friday, the PCG and other agencies officially began the underwater search for the remains of the disappeared cockfighting enthusiasts after over a week of planning.
It was only by sheer luck that the sack of bones was discovered by policemen along the shoreline the previous day, when authorities were still in the process of conducting a site assessment.
“We made a search plan for our technical divers. So each of them will be covering an area of 100 meters by 100 meters,” PCG spokesperson Captain Noemie Guirao-Cayabyab explained in Filipino.
The PCG official said the water in the search area is notably murky.
Guirao-Cayabyab disclosed that a span of water leased for fish cultivation by an unnamed suspect in the case of the “missing sabungeros” is considered the search operation’s “ground zero.”
As this developed, Manila Representative Bienvenido Abante said Friday the House Quad Committee will be revived in the 20th Congress and will tackle the issue of missing sabungeros.
