Bags containing bones found in Taal Lake
Could these bags be related to the missing sabungeros?
Members of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) recovered several bags containing bones during search and retrieval operations they conducted at Taal Lake in Laurel, Batangas, this Friday, July 11, 2025.

This is an important step to prove the truth of Julie “Dondon” Patidongan or Alias Totoy’s allegation that the bodies of more than a hundred sabungeros who have been missing since 2021 were dumped in the lake.

missing sabungeros taal lake

Patidongan highlighted the name of businessman and gambling tycoon Charlie “Atong” Ang as the alleged “mastermind” in the disappearance of the sabungeros.

Patidongan also implicated the name of actress Gretchen Barretto.

Atong and Gretchen strongly denied the serious allegations against them. CHALLENGES IN THE DIVING OPERATION
The Department of Justice (DOJ) said they received information that a sandbag was tied to the sacks containing the skeletons to ensure their sinking to the center of Taal Lake.

PCG divers were able to locate and dive to the location of the sacks because of the location indicated by Patidongan.

PCG divers faced major challenges due to the weather conditions, the murky and deep waters of Taal Lake, and the threat of an eruption of Taal Volcano.

PCG Spokesperson Noemie Cayabyab said in an interview with GMA Integrated News that their agency is awaiting the arrival of a remote-operated vehicle capable of diving and retrieving objects from under the lake. She said: “It will arrive this week so we expect it to help determine the whereabouts of objects under the water.

“Because, we understand during the early assessment yesterday that the water is quite murky and muddy.

“So, our remote-operated vehicles will help because it has the capacity to see underwater, almost one thousand feet, and it has the capability as well to pick up some objects.

So, if we see any suspicious subjects or objects under the water, we will pick them up and lift them up,” Cayabyab explained about the methods they will use to determine the whereabouts of the remains of the missing fishermen.

The skeletons found in the sacks recovered by the PCG from Taal Lake will undergo analysis to ensure that they are among the missing fishermen.