Human remains were discovered inside a septic tank of the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City, the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) said on Wednesday, July 26. But Deputy Director General for Operations Angelina L. Bautista, in an interview on DZBB, said the bureau has yet to determine how many human remains were found inside the septic tank which is within the maximum-security compound of NBP. Bautista also did not say categorically if the remains were those of the missing PDLs. “Hindi pa po natin ma-distinguish ngayon sir kung ilan po ‘yung makikita natin dahil ito po ay sisipsipin at sasalain po ng Maynilad para po ma-forensic naman po ng ating mga doktor sa NBI (We can’t distinguish yet how many remains there are because Maynilad has to drain and sift through the septic tank so that the doctors of the National Bureau of Investigation can conduct forensic examinations),” Bautista said. She said the septic tank has an opening that can fit a head and the remains of a person when chopped up. She noted that the remains were discovered while BuCor personnel were searching for a PDLs who went missing last July 15. “May nawawala po kasi tayong PDL noong July 15 ng ala sais ng gabi. Since then, nag-conduct na po kami ng search dahil nga po sampung hektarya po ito maximum compound with almost 19,000 na PDLs. So hindi po umubra po ‘yung pagse-search namin (We have a PDL who has been missing since 6 pm of July 15. Since then, we conducted a search inside the 10-hectare Maximum Security Compound with almost around 19,000 PDLs. Our search failed),” Bautista recounted. “So, nag-seek kami ng assistance ng Coast Guard. ‘Yan ang ginamit po namin ‘yung search and rescue dogs nila. So from July 20 to 25 nakapagpanel po sila sa sampung hektarya na ito na may apat na quadrant (So we sought the help of the Philippine Coast Guard. We used their search and rescue dogs. So, from July 20 to 25 we conduct panelings inside the 10-hectare Maximum Security Compound with four quadrants),” she said. She pointed out that the discovery of the remains in the septic tank was a result of the tips from some PDLs. “May nagtip na ano nga po ito mass grave so doon po ako nag-concentrate (Information was tipped that this was used as a mass grave so I concentrated there),” she said. She theorized that the septic tank may have been used for decades in dumping dead bodies of PDLs. Because of the discovery, Bautista said that BuCor is compiling a list of missing PDLs. Meanwhile, Bautista confirmed that a PDL was killed and nine others were injured during a fight inside the maximum-security compound on Tuesday night, July 25. “Meron po tayong isang namatay, si PDL Abra na nasaksak (We have an inmate who died, PDL Abra got stabbed),” said Bautista who did not give the full name of the dead PDL. Nine other PDLs were not seriously injured, she said as she noted the relief of the officer of the day and the officer-in-charge of the maximum-security compound. Bautista said that based on initial investigation, a fight ensued between to PDLs – one from the Bahala Na Gang (BNG) and one from the Batang City Jail (BCJ). “Nagkaayos naman po sila. Ang problema lang po meron  pong isang PDL na bigla na lang po bumunot ng baril at nagpaputok (The two were able to settle their argument. But a PDL drew a gun and started firing),” she said. She also said a .45 caliber handgun loaded with 12 rounds of ammunition was recovered and believed to be the firearm used. “’Yan po yung iniimbestigahan po namin ngayon kasi nagki-clearing pa po kasi sa area (We are investigating that as we continue to conduct clearing operations in the area),” she added.