Skeletal Remains May Still Be Retrieved

(DOJ) went to the fish port in Talisay town yesterday, the staging ground for the search efforts.

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As early as 2 a.m., Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) personnel brought rubber boats, rigid hull inflatable boats in Talisay, oxygen tanks and other diving equipment. They also have cadaver bags and first aid kits.

They have set their sights on a fishpond allegedly leased by one of the suspects in the kidnapping and murder of the sabungeros. "That is our ground zero from the start," Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla told reporters in an earlier interview.

However, no actual diving occurred but only a technical site assessment where divers checked on the water conditions at the area and the weather.

The PCG said search and retrieval operations would begin today, if the weather permits.

It added that 33 of the PCG's technical divers would be part of the search for the missing sabungeros; however, it has so far only sent one-third of that number.

The search in Taal Lake was prompted by the revelation of Julie Patidongan, one of the six security guards at the Manila Arena implicated in the disappearance of 10 sabungeros.

The investigation of the four-year-old case was going nowhere until Patidongan, also known as Totoy, came forward and tagged his former boss, gaming tycoon Charlie "Atong" Ang, as the mastermind in the kidnapping and disappearance of not only 34 but over 108 sabungeros.

The remains of missing sabungeros may still be retrieved from Taal Lake even though it has been years since they were allegedly dumped there, according to the DOJ.

Citing experts, DOJ Assistant Secretary Mico Clavano said the remains could still be there, considering certain factors such as the type of water in the lake, which is freshwater, that could affect the condition of the remains.

"There are some who say we can still find something. Other searches were done in saltwater. There are experts advising us on what we should be looking for," he told reporters in an interview in Talisay, Batangas.