Bones from Taal Lake yet to be turned over for autopsy —forensic expert

Forensic pathologist Raquel Fortun said the Department of Justice (DOJ) has yet to turn over the suspected human remains it recovered from Taal Lake linked to the search for the missing sabungeros.

"We have time, we really have to coordinate," Fortun said in a press conference for the turnover of forensic equipment from Japan to the University of the Philippines (UP) Manila.

The DOJ earlier tapped the help of the UP Anthropology Department and the UP Forensic Pathology Department to examine the bones retrieved from the lake.

Fortun said UP Manila will provide a space for the remains while under their custody.

“We will follow the national rules and regulations of the chain of custody," said Michael Tee, UP Manila chancellor.

Fortun earlier reminded authorities to handle the retrieved sacks of bones and other remains with care.

She also said that the examination of the remains must be scientific and systematic.

Bureau of Corrections

Meanwhile, Fortun asked the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) to immediately transport the remains of persons deprived of liberty (PDL) that it wishes to be examined by pathologists.

“Right now, the bodies are coming in trickles, and definitely they got a lot more deaths than what they are sending us, Fortun said.

"We’re pushing for fresh, right after death, you bring the body over. What’s happening is they have a two-body ref in BuCor, they put the bodies there. The funeral parlor collects the bodies and then they are embalmed and stored, not brought to us. There is selective referral,” she said.

Fortun called for solutions and updated policies on how they should receive and process bodies for better autopsies.

“It has to be fixed. We have to sit down with the DOJ. We have logistical problems. For instance, BuCor cannot transport the body here. Maybe UP can do that, can we? If you really want to push for fresh bodies, we have to do that,” she said.

In July 2024, the DOJ, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Programme Office in the Philippines, and UP Manila signed a declaration to improve the investigation process on the custodial deaths of PDLs under BuCor.

As per the Department of Pathology’s initial assessment in 2024, tuberculosis has been identified as a cause for several deaths inside prison. —LDF, GMA Integrated News