The suspicious sacks retrieved from the bottom of Taal Lake where Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) divers were searching for the remains of 34 missing cockfight enthusiasts (sabungeros) were confirmed to have contained a mix of human and animal remains.

No less than Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief, Police General Nicolas Torre III revealed this on Monday, July 14, as he said the burned human remains found inside the five sacks retrieved underwater were already subjected to cross-matching with the DNA collected from the families and relatives of those missing.

“Halo-halo kasi may farm dyan sa lugar na ‘yan. Ang Taal ay farming [community], nandyan na lahat ng makikita natin. May mga narecover na mga animal remains, may human. Mix-mix na ang tinitignan. Kasama sa ating processing ang pagdifferentiate kung ito ba ay animal origin or human origin (It’s a mixture of objects because there’s a farm in that area. Taal has a farming [community], everything can be found there. Some animal remains have already been recovered, and there are also human remains. What we’re looking at is a mixture. Part of our processing involves determining whether the remains are of animal or human origin),” Torres said in a press conference at Camp Crame in Quezon City.

Forensic experts from the Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) were checking if the retrieved remains would match the “standards” or reference samples provided by the missing sabungeros’ families.

“In terms of cross matching, kumuha kami ng mga standards sa mga kin, kapamilya ng missing sabungeros. Ang cross matching ng mga remains to possible kin na nagbigay ng standards mabilis lang pero hindi mabigyan ng oras kasi hindi natin alam ang mga complications na mag-aarise. This is a technical process, very technical examination (In terms of cross-matching, we collected standards from the relatives of the missing sabungeros. Matching the recovered remains to the possible relatives who provided the samples can be done quickly, but we cannot set a timeline since we don’t know what complications may arise. This is a technical process, a very technical examination),” Torre shared.

PCG divers resumed their diving operations in Laurel, Batangas around 7 a.m. on Monday after they did not retrieve any suspicious item during the search on Sunday.

A total of 49 technical divers were deployed during the operation on Monday, and they were divided into several teams. The first batch of divers is usually deployed in the morning while the second batch is for the afternoon search. Each team is diving for 1.5 hours.

Since the initial survey began on July 10 and the first dive was conducted on July 11, the PCG has expanded the search area by 10 to 20 meters beyond the original 100-by-100-meter section of water identified as ground zero—where whistleblower Julie “Totoy/Dondon” Patidongan claimed the remains of the missing sabungeros were dumped.

The PCG was also expecting the arrival of its remotely operated vehicle (ROV) on Monday which would be used to aid in the search for the missing sabungeros’ remains.

“Inaasahan na natin ang pagdating ng ROV na makakatulong sa pagsasagawa ng diving operations (We are expecting the arrival of the ROV, which will aid in the conduct of diving operations),” PCG spokesperson Captain Noemie Cayabyab said.

The ROV has the capability to “see” and search for suspicious objects underwater up to 1,000 feet. It also has clamps that can get and carry objects up to 10 kilos, and has a monitor for easier visual controls.

Cayabyab, however, said that technical divers will still be deployed even with the arrival of the ROV.

“Mayroong limitation din ‘yung bigat ng bagay na kaya niyang dalhin papuntang surface kaya kailangan din talaga ng mga divers para umalalay (The ROV also has limitations in terms of the weight it can carry to the surface, which is why the presence of divers is still essential to assist in the operation),” she noted.

Meanwhile, the PNP chief assured the safety of Patidongan as he was set to file charges against several cops allegedly linked to the disappearance and killing of the missing sabungeros.

"We fully support him because we need his affirmation to set the ball rolling on the administrative part of this case,” Torre said.

The National Police Commission (Napolcom) earlier disclosed that it was waiting for the sworn statement of Patidongan so it can start the administrative investigation against 15 police officers linked to the case.

“The PNP is committed to ensure his safety para maiparating natin hanggang dulo ang kaso,” Torre noted.