PNP: 1,400 human bones recovered from Taal Lake
Around 1,400 of 2,000 bones recovered by divers from Taal Lake have been identified as human remains, according to the Philippine National Police, which is investigating the alleged kidnapping and murder of at least 34 “sabungeros” or cockfighting aficionados between 2021 and 2022.
“The total number of human bones we have identified after examinations is 1,400,” PNP Forensics Group (FG) director Col. Pierre Carpio told reporters at a briefing in Camp Crame on Monday.
Carpio said all the bones went through medico-legal, anthropological, radiographic imaging, dental and DNA testing, although he clarified that the examination process remains ongoing.
He added that they have yet to determine whether the DNA profiles obtained from the recovered bones match any of the victims in the case.
Carpio explained that corrosion due to the presence of sulfuric acid, magnesium, aluminum and sodium, as well as the high temperature of Taal Lake, made it more difficult for the PNP FG to recover DNA profiles from the bones recovered.
Testing strategy
“With so many bones and all that has happened in Taal Lake in terms of the degrading of our evidence, we have developed a strategy in which we test our evidence multiple times,” Carpio said.
“So, for example, for long bones, we don’t take samples only once to submit for DNA testing,” he added.
Should any of the samples be found viable, the PNP FG may partner up with DNA testing firms from Japan or the University of the Philippines, Carpio said.
The PNP FG chief previously said that eight disaster victim identification teams have been working since July 10, 2025, to recover the suspected remains of the missing sabungeros from Taal Lake.
The operation was prompted by the testimony of Julie “Dondon” Patidongan, the whistleblower in the case, who said the sabungeros were abducted and killed, and their bodies dumped in Taal Lake by a group of policemen, supposedly upon the orders of his former boss, gambling tycoon Charlie “Atong” Ang.
In December, Ang and 21 other respondents, mostly police officers, were charged in three separate courts in Batangas and Laguna with 26 counts of kidnapping with homicide and serious illegal detention.
All the accused have since been arrested, except for Ang, who has yet to be found despite a P20-million bounty on his head.
