Bones from Taal Lake could be from 1 person, says PNP

The bones recovered from Taal Lake could be from one person as authorities continue to search for the alleged remains of the missing sabungeros, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said. 

According to Ian Cruz’s exclusive report in “24 Oras” on Tuesday, among the more than 90 bone fragments recovered from the lake has a length of eight inches and is believed to be a human hip bone. 

The PNP Forensic Group believes that the bones could belong to the body of one person. 

“It can appear that it belongs to one person kasi may dalawang hip bone, nandoon yung sacral bone, tapos meron ding lumbar bone. Possible na isa,” said PNP-Forensic Group deputy director for administration P/Col. Francisco Supe. 

The recovered bones will still have to undergo a lengthy process before a DNA profile can be extracted from them. Once DNA is extracted from them, the information generated will be crossmatched with the information from the relatives of the missing sabungeros. 

The retrieved bones are currently being dried up after being soaked up in the water for a long period, the report said. But authorities are concerned that the bones have been exposed to sulfur from the Taal Volcano. 

“May chance naman po makakakuha pa rin po kami. Regardless po, ang pangako po namin we will do our best para makapag-generate ng DNA profile,” said PNP-DNA Laboratory Division Chief Police Lt. Col. Edmar Dela Torre. 

(There is still a chance that we can get something from them. Regardless of what happens, we will do our best to generate a DNA profile.) 

But unlike fingerprints, the PNP said that DNA can be extracted from any parts of the body. 

DNA has been extracted so far from at least 18 relatives of the missing sabungeros, the report said. 

“Naisip ko po kung totoo yung hirap na pinagdaanan  ng anak ko, na halos sa kagat ng lamok ayaw ko padapuan anak ko. Tapos naisip ko yung pagkitil na ginawa nila sa buhay na pinahirapan nila nang ganun,” said Marilyn Germar, mother of Glenn Arcen Germar, one of the missing cockfighting enthusiasts. 

(I thought of the hardship that my son had to endure. I didn’t even allow him to be bitten by mosquitoes. I can’t imagine the torture he experienced.) 

“Sabi po namin sa isa’t-isa, isa lang na may mag-match sa amin…basta isa lang po sa amin, hustisya na po ‘yun. Ibig sabihin po nun, lahat ng sinabi ni Totoy ay totoo,” said Eloisa Bohol, mother of Kiel Daniel Bohol. 

(We told each other that even if only one of us matched with the bones, that’s already a justice achieved for us. It means that all the statements of Totoy are true.) 

There is already a resolution filed in the House of Representatives seeking an inquiry by the Quad Committee on the missing sabungeros case. — Vince Angelo Ferreras/RF, GMA Integrated News