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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Tinio: Probe case of 300 pieces of human remains found in Taal Lake

Tinio: Probe case of 300 pieces of human remains found in Taal Lake

Published Aug 29, 2025 02:31 pm

At A Glance

  • The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) have been asked not to turn a blind eye on the 300 pieces of human remains that were discovered in Taal Lake even if they are no longer connected to the case of missing sabungeros (cockfighting enthusiasts).
An inter-agency search and retrieval operation is conducted by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Philippine National Police's Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG), and Department of Justice (DOJ) at the Taal Lake in Talisay, Batangas on July 10, 2025 to locate the remains of 34 missing sabungeros believed to have been killed and dumped in the lake. (Santi San Juan / MANILA BULLETIN)
An inter-agency search and retrieval operation is conducted by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Philippine National Police's Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG), and Department of Justice (DOJ) at the Taal Lake in Talisay, Batangas on July 10, 2025 to locate the remains of 34 missing sabungeros believed to have been killed and dumped in the lake. (Santi San Juan / MANILA BULLETIN)
​The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) have been asked not to turn a blind eye on the 300 pieces of human remains that were discovered in Taal Lake even if they are no longer connected to the case of missing sabungeros (cockfighting enthusiasts).
ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio made the call as he described the development during a House hearing on Thursday, Aug. 28, as "deeply alarming".
"We do not know the identities of these heinous crime victims yet," he said.
They might be victims of accidental deaths, murders or extra-judicial killings (EJKs) or might be the activists who disappeared, Tinio said.
"Marami pang nawawala—hindi lang sabungeros, kundi mga aktibista at ordinaryong mamamayan na matagal nang hinahanap ng kanilang mga pamilya ang hustisya (Many more are missing—not just the cockfighting enthusiasts, but activists and ordinary citizens whose families have long been seeking justice)," he said.
He noted that the discovery only proved the existence of human rights violations in the country.
Tinio warned against prematurely closing the case, and argued that the government "cannot simply close the investigation if there is no match to the missing sabungeros".
"Hindi pwedeng matapos ang kaso basta-basta. May pananagutan ang gobyerno para malaman ang buong katotohanan at managot ang mga responsable (This case cannot end just like that. The government has a responsibility to find out the whole truth and hold those responsible accountable)," he said.
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