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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider PCG readies divers for recovery of missing sabungeros' remains at Taal Lake

PCG readies divers for recovery of missing sabungeros' remains at Taal Lake

Published Jun 20, 2025 05:22 pm
Technical divers from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) undergo training on bilateral dive operations, maritime operations, exchange maritime tactics techniques and procedures, and dive medical training in Palawan on Nov. 18 to 21, 2022 to improve their capabilities. (File photo: PCG)
Technical divers from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) undergo training on bilateral dive operations, maritime operations, exchange maritime tactics techniques and procedures, and dive medical training in Palawan on Nov. 18 to 21, 2022 to improve their capabilities. (File photo: PCG)
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) confirmed on Friday, June 20, that it has mobilized its technical divers for a possible search and retrieval operation at Taal Lake in Batangas, where the remains of the 34 missing “sabungeros” or cockfighters are allegedly buried.
PCG Commandant, Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan instructed the Coast Guard Special Operations Force (CGSOF) to coordinate with the Department of Justice (DOJ), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and the Philippine Navy (PN) for the “immediate and strategic deployment of technical divers” to verify reports pointing to the lake as a possible burial site connected to the still-unsolved disappearance of the cockfighters.
“If the DOJ needs the expertise of our men and women to confirm or reject this piece of information as part of the case build-up, we will be there,” Gavan said.
The move came after an accused bared new information on the case, claiming in a media interview with GMA News that the missing cockfighters were already dead and their remains were buried at Taal Lake.
The accused added that the cockfighters were strangled to death using a tie wire before being buried.
The accused did not identify the brains behind the killings, but noted that up to 100 cockfighters may have been killed, not just 34, per data from the Philippine National Police (PNP). He said he will submit an affidavit to the authorities to bare all information that he knows regarding the case.
After the accused’s revelation, DOJ Secretary Jesus Remulla raised the possibility that technical divers from the PCG and Navy might be needed to verify the claims.
The PCG’s elite divers are trained in underwater search and recovery, particularly in challenging environments like lakes with low visibility and varying depths.
Meanwhile, the Navy has yet to respond to the DOJ Secretary’s remarks.
The cockfighters went missing between April 2021 to January 2022 in various cockfighting arenas and the victims’ homes in Laguna, Batangas, Manila, and Bulacan.
The families of the missing cockfighters have continued to call for justice as they expressed hope that the new information would finally uncover the truth behind the high-profile disappearances.

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PCG technical diver missing sabungero Taal Lake Batangas DOJ
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