PCG assures meticulous search and retrieval ops in Taal Lake, as divers at risk

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) over the weekend assured that the search and retrieval operations for the missing sabungeros in Taal Lake are being done meticulously, as the lives of the divers are at risk for every descent they take.

According to PCG spokesperson Capt. Noemi Cayabyab, the operations team is maximizing every dive to ensure that it would be productive, given the risks taken by the divers.

“Masusi po ang ginagamit nating mga search pattern and search strategy. Talagang we always want to maximize (The search pattern and search strategy we use is very meticulous. We really want to maximize),” she said in a report by Vonne Aquino on GMA’s “24 Oras Weekend” on Sunday.

“Bawat baba po ng ating mga divers ay meron po tayong makikita (We see something in every descent of our divers) as much as possible kasi (because) again, we are compromising the lives of our divers here,” she added.

Given the risks, hyperbaric doctors are at the scene to attend to the divers before and after their descent.

The PCG earlier on Sunday released underwater footage of the operations in the Taal Lake, with divers facing conditions such as murky water, strong underwater currents, and the depth of the lake, among others. Technical divers also attended mass on the shores of the lake prior to the operations.

The teams retrieved sacks from the lake as part of the search for the missing sabungeros that contain what appeared to be bones, which the PCG has denied as being planted in the area as alleged by some critics.

According to Southern Tagalog Coast Guard District Commander Commodore Geronimo Tuvilla, divers are thoroughly inspecting sacks found at the bottom of the lake, which are frisked and reported to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) before these are brought to land.

“That’s normal.  Sabi nga nila, we cannot please everyone. Basta kami, ‘yung inyong PCG, katuwang ‘yung Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Department of Justice, tuloy tuloy namin gagawin ‘yung aming trabaho professionally, diligently, and properly, as much as possible… Until such time na matapos namin ‘yung area na i-search,” he said in the same report.

(That’s normal. As they say, we cannot please everyone. For us, the PCG, in line with the PNP and the DOJ, we will continue doing our job professionally, diligently, and properly, as much as possible… Until such time that we finish searching the area.)

“Merong mga talagang sacks doon sa bottom, probably from (animal) feeds no, pero ‘yun ‘yung iniisa isa na i-check natin ‘yung mga laman, kinakapa ng ating mga divers para to really help,” he added.

(There are really sacks at the bottom, probably from [animal] feeds, but the contents are being checked one by one, the divers frisk them to really help.)

Tuvilla said the divers are using the jackstay search method, which involves using a line as a guide to ensure thorough coverage of the search area.

“Nag-move tayo ng northeast, 10 meters northeast using the jackstay search method na tinatawag, which is a straight line then going back,” he said.

“Initially dun sa area na ‘yun, negative ‘yung nakuha natin, so we will be adjusting to another part, no, we will move again, so hangga’t ma-cover natin ‘yung buong kumbaga circumference ng buong search area natin,” he added.

(We moved 10 meters northeast using the so-called jackstay search method, which is a straight line then going back.

Initially, in that area, we yielded negative results, so we will be adjusting to another part, no, we will move again, until we cover the whole circumference of the whole search area.)

The PCG is also set to start using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) on Monday during its search and retrieval operations moving forward, which will have a capacity to see up to 1,000 feet underwater.

For its part, the National Bureau of Investigation Forensic and Scientific Service said they have yet to receive any samples from the content of the sacks retrieved from the lake.

Should these be confirmed to be human bones, these will then be tested for DNA and compared with living relatives of the missing sabungeros.

Meanwhile, forensic pathologist Raquel Fortun said authorities should handle the retrieved sacks and their contents with care, as she observed that one of the sacks was opened, and its contents scattered on the ground.

“Medyo dismayado ako dun sa unang picture na inilabas nila, na apparently, bakit ang linis ng sako eh naggaling sa tubig. Apparently, inilipat nila sa ibang sako. For you to do that at the scene, alanganin ‘yun,” she said.

(I was somewhat dismayed with the first photo they released. The sack looked so clean despite coming from the water. Apparently, they transferred the contents to another sack. Doing that at the scene raises questions. It’s questionable.)

This comes as at least 34 cockfighting enthusiasts or sabungeros were reported missing from various areas in Luzon — including Batangas, Bulacan, Laguna, Manila, and Rizal — from April 2021 to January 2022.

One of the accused in the disappearances, known as Totoy, earlier claimed that the bodies were thrown into the Taal Lake after the sabungeros caught for allegedly cheating by weakening their own roosters and betting on those of their opponents. — Jon Viktor Cabuenas/RF, GMA Integrated News