A human skull with teeth and additional bones were recovered from Taal Lake, raising the possibility of DNA extraction from the remains, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla on Wednesday said.
“Some remains were found yesterday. They are in the crime lab. There was a human skull and bones found… It looks like only one person was found there, that will be examined,” Remulla said in a briefing.
“Yes, there were teeth in the skull. We don’t know if it has a lower jaw,” he added, noting that the teeth may still contain usable DNA.
The remains, which include an upper jaw and teeth, were discovered within a pre-identified quadrant of the lake and are now under the custody of the Philippine National Police (PNP) for further forensic analysis.
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Remulla said the new discovery adds weight to witness testimonies pointing to Taal Lake as a dumping ground, possibly linked not only to the case of the missing cockfighting aficionados or “sabungeros,” but also to other crimes such as those related to the drug war.
Meanwhile, most of the 12 police officers linked to the alleged abduction and murder of the missing “sabungeros” had previously faced administrative cases, said Brigido Dulay, Inspector General of the Philippine National Police Internal Affairs Service (PNP-IAS).
He said the unit had already submitted the officers’ administrative records to the National Police Commission (Napolcom) as part of the ongoing probe.
Napolcom earlier filed charges of grave misconduct, irregularities in the performance of duty, and conduct unbecoming of a police officer against the 12 policemen.
The cases were based primarily on the sworn statement of whistleblower Julie Patidongan, also known as “Alias Totoy,” and corroborated by other complainants.
Patidongan earlier said the remains of 34 missing “sabungeros” were disposed of in Taal Lake between 2021 and 2022.
