Two sacks containing human skeletal remains—believed to be those of the “missing sabungeros”—were recovered from the depths of Taal Lake in Batangas on Thursday, July 17, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla confirmed.
The discovery came as investigators also exhumed the remains of three individuals suspected to be involved in online cockfighting, whose bodies had been found in the lake in 2020 and subsequently buried in a local cemetery after going unclaimed.
The location of the newly recovered sacks was identified by boatmen acting on the information provided by accused turned whistleblower Julie “Dondon” Patidongan, alias “Totoy.”
According to Remulla, cursory inspection confirmed that the sacks contained human bones, including “ribs ng tao.”
Two additional sacks retrieved from the area were filled with sand, presumed to have been used as weights to keep the remains submerged at the lakebed.
Remulla said the find lends credibility to Patidongan’s testimony and may prove vital in unraveling the mystery of the missing sabungeros.
As the investigation continues, authorities are revisiting a police report that documented the earlier 2020 recovery of three bodies from the same lake—remains that were buried in a Batangas cemetery after no relatives came forward at the funeral parlor.
Among those exhumed, one is believed to be female, based on the kind of underwear recovered.
Also found was a basketball jersey that, according to a witness, may have belonged to one of the individuals who disappeared in 2020. (Jeffrey Damicog)
