The bones of the missing “sabungeros” might be preserved in Taal Lake due to the lack of oxygen in its murky waters, Science Secretary Renato Solidum said amid growing calls for a full-scale search for the remains, allegedly dumped in the lake.
“The bone doesn’t decompose. The bone doesn’t care about decomposition, only the flesh decays,” Solidum said in a news forum on Saturday.
“If there’s no more oxygen, it won’t decompose. It will be preserved. So, it depends on the location,” he added.
Solidum said the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is coordinating with other scientists to assess the feasibility of using specialized marine equipment for the search.
“We will have to find out if other cameras can handle the murky conditions of Taal Lake,” he said.
The Department of Justice has already sought assistance from Japan for the use of remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs) to scan the lakebed.
A suspect turned whistleblower, Julie Patidongan, who was previously identified as “Alyas Totoy,” earlier said the remains of 34 missing “sabungeros” were disposed of in Taal Lake between 2021 and 2022.
He said the victims were strangled, tied with sandbags, and thrown into the lake’s deeper areas.
As this developed, the National Police Commission on Saturday called on Patidongan to formally submit a complaint affidavit following his claims that certain police officers were involved in the disappearances.
“Napolcom can move three times faster if he can file a formal complaint,” Napolcom vice chairperson Calinisan said in an interview.
Napolcom earlier said it already has a list of the police officers linked to the case of the missing “sabungeros.”
The police officers linked to the case would be summoned to face an administrative probe, Calinisan said.
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla on Friday said 15 police officers who allegedly carried out executions in the missing “sabungeros” case have been placed under restricted duty.
“They are now on restricted duty. They have to report to offices so they remain there. This is to prevent them from causing any further harm.” Remulla said.