‘Bones of sabungeros can still be recovered’

Whistleblower: Gretchen voted for abduction

MANILA, Philippines — The bones of the missing cockfight enthusiasts or sabungeros could still be recovered in Taal Lake if allegations that they were dumped there turn out to be true, the secretary of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) said.

DOST chief Renato Solidum Jr. told reporters yesterday that given the lake’s depth, authorities could still retrieve the victims’ remains.

“Remains do not decompose if they are underneath because oxygen levels decrease,” Solidum said on the sidelines of the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City.

“Bones generally won’t decompose; only the flesh will,” he added.

The Science and Technology Secretary explained that if the bodies were lying in shallow water, oxidation could lead to the decomposition of the flesh.

Whistleblower Julie Patidongan, also known as “Totoy,” first revealed in a June 17 interview with GMA Integrated News that the kidnapped sabungeros were already dead, having been strangled with wire and thrown into the lake.

Patidongan claimed that the suspects had tied the sabungeros’ bodies with sandbags to prevent them from floating.

The whistleblower accused gaming tycoon Charlie “Atong” Ang of orchestrating the disappearances and deaths of over 100 sabungeros between 2021 and 2022, all of whom allegedly cheated in cockfight games.

Ang has denied his hand in the crime, suing his former farm manager on Thursday for allegedly extorting P300 million to avoid implicating him in the grisly murders.

Decomposition

Taal Lake, located in Talisay, Batangas, reaches depths of over 170 meters and covers a surface area of more than 230 square kilometers.

Oxygen levels generally decrease as one goes deeper into a body of water, such as a lake or an ocean.

The lack of oxygen allows dead bodies to transform into skeletons for two years, according to a 2010 article in the Scientific American magazine.

Bones undergo a different decomposition process called diagenesis, the article stated, which can take decades. Bones that lie in dry soil with certain minerals can “survive the ravages of time.”

Just the bones

Families of the missing sabungeros have come to terms with the tragic fates of their loved ones but are pleading with authorities for what they deserve.

“I ask for help to see even just my son’s bones so I can bring him home,” said Francisca Ramos, whose 17-year-old son John Paul was abducted in December 2021 in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

Ramos and other relatives of the sabungeros on Friday visited the headquarters of the Justice Department and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, continuing their years-long quest for justice.

Meanwhile, Solidum said it would be safer to deploy specialized cameras designed for marine conditions rather than technical divers.

“Diving is not safe due to the lake’s depth,” he explained.

The Philippine Coast Guard has indicated readiness to send 60 expert divers to search the heart of the lake, but they have only been able to reach depths of 100 meters.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla on Friday requested technical assistance from Japan for lakebed mapping and other technologies needed for the search.

As for the DOST, Solidum said he would discuss the matter with scientists under his umbrella to assess if they have marine monitoring instruments suitable for the murky conditions of Taal Lake.

Complicit?

According to Patidongan, he allegedly witnessed how Barretto voted in favor of the abduction of sabungeros in meetings arranged by Ang.

“She is among those who agreed to disappear the sabungeros. Gretchen Barretto was among those who raised their hands,” he told GMA News on Friday.

For Patindongan, it is impossible that Barretto was against Ang’s proposal as she was always beside the gaming tycoon during meetings with other members of the so-called alpha group.

Barretto on Friday denied she took part in the killings. — Emmanuel Tupas