The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has denied allegations of evidence planting following the discovery of sacks containing charred materials in the waters of Taal Lake, Batangas—linked to the ongoing search for 34 missing cockfighting enthusiasts, or sabungeros.
“This operation is very peculiar. This is not a simple crime. What we are finding here entails DNA, which is why the forensic team and SOCO [Scene of the Crime Operatives] are here. If we find bones there and subjected to a DNA test of the missing, then we can examine if these were from the persons we are finding or these were only planted,” Commodore Geronimo Tuvilla, commander of Coast Guard District Southern Tagalog said on Friday, July 11.
“We will not waste our time on this if these sacks were only planted. You have seen the risk our divers face. This is no joke, and what we’re doing should not be taken lightly or reduced to mere speculation,” he added.
One sack contained “burned objects” and was found tied to a weighted sandbag, seemingly intended to make it sink, according to Tuvilla.
The PCG deployed around 30 to 40 technical divers who conducted two diving operations on Friday. The first one began around 6 a.m. while the second one commenced at 2 p.m.,
They were equipped with diving gears and oxygen tanks, and a diving rope was installed in the dive site to guide them when ascending and descending into the water.
The divers found it hard to inspect the bottom of the lake because the water was murky.
“The operating area was identified based on the intelligence information that we received from the Department of Justice and information from the witness,” PCG spokesperson Captain Noemie Cayabyab said, referring to the whistleblower Julie “Totoy/Dondon: Patidongan.
As the operations were concluded, the Department of Justice) announced the discovery of the two sacks, which was confirmed by a source from the PCG.
The sacks were found on the lakebed of Taal in Barangay Balakilong, Laurel, Batangas; one was at 70 feet and another at 50 feet.
Tuvilla said it was not immediately confirmed if the charred objects were human remains or bones.
The sacks and its contents were placed inside a cadaver bag and submitted for examination to determine if they were human bones and if these were connected to the case of the missing sabungeros.
“It is to protect the integrity of whatever we found there,” he said. “It had been soaked for a long time.
On Thursday, PCG divers also found a white sack containing charred objects that appeared to be human bones, according to the Calabarzon Police Regional Office.
The PCG said it will utilize specialized underwater and aerial technologies to intensify its search in Taal Lake..
A remotely operated vehicle (ROV) is expected to arrive at the dive site in Laurel, Batangas, on Sunday, July 13, or early next week, for the continuous search and retrieval operations. (Martin Sadongdong)
