The search for the remains of the missing cockfighters allegedly dumped in Taal Lake begins today.
Joining the operation are technical divers from the Philippine Navy, and reporter Chino Gaston has an on-the-spot update.

Chino Gaston reporting:
Raffy, Connie, people here at the Talisay Fishport in Batangas are closely watching as the search for the missing cockfighters in Taal is expected to start any moment now.

Before dawn, equipment from the Philippine Coast Guard arrived at the Talisay Fishport, including rubber boats, rigid hull inflatable boats, and PCG divers who will be used in the lake search for remains.

The search in Taal was prompted by the testimony of witness Don Don Patidongan, who claimed that the bodies were dumped in Taal Lake, and by information uncovered by the Department of Justice revealing that one of the suspects in the case had rented fish pens or cages in the lake.

It has not yet been revealed where exactly these fish cages are located. Some fish cages are near the shores of towns surrounding the lake, while others are found on the actual volcano island where the crater lies.

Shortly after 10:00 AM, the Coast Guard personnel began launching the rubber boats into the lake in preparation for the search and possible diving operations.

DOJ Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla had previously said that, aside from the Coast Guard personnel, experts from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau of the DENR would also assist using sonar equipment.

Connie and Raffy, one of the challenges in this search is the increasing wave activity in the lake, the expected afternoon rains, and the low visibility of the murky waters.

Besides that, of course, there’s the immense depth and the vast area of the lake to be searched.

Raffy: Aside from the big waves you mentioned, what are other challenges for the divers? We know that Taal Lake is very murky. You’re a diver yourself — what challenges do divers face in such low visibility conditions?

Chino:
Well, first of all, Raffy, the key issue here is the information. According to reports, one of the suspects rented a fish cage in the area. If these fish cages are spread over a large region, our divers will need to cover a very wide area.

That’s one reason the Philippine government is requesting technical assistance from Japan, asking for remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), since, of course, robots don’t get tired and can dive to extreme depths.

So to answer your question: the main challenge is the vast area and confirming whether the location being referred to is truly where the bodies were dumped. Even if you dive down, if that’s not the exact location where the bodies were dropped, you’ll be searching through a deep, murky lake blindly.

As one Coast Guard official said — it’s murkier than a squid’s ink down there.

Connie: Are the fishing operations or fish cages being suspended during this search?

Chino: I spoke with some local residents here, and we’ve been asking them if they’ve noticed anything suspicious in the past few years — for example, if someone might have dumped bodies in the lake. So far, they said the ongoing operations haven’t affected them. In fact, we still saw boats passing through earlier, since the entire Taal Lake isn’t closed off, and some fish cages near the shoreline are still accessible.

At this moment, the search hasn’t fully started yet, but we’re already seeing boats heading toward their respective fish cages.

Connie: So is it clear what the operation plan will be? Will they first use sonar, or will the ROVs go down before the divers? We’re guessing they still need information to at least narrow down the general vicinity where the bodies might’ve been dumped.

Chino: Raffy, the DOJ will be leading a coordination meeting soon — it may even be happening right now — to direct and focus the search based on information they still haven’t made public.

As we know, Japan’s remotely operated vehicles haven’t arrived yet — the request was only recently sent to the Japanese Embassy based on the search parameters needed. So for now, it’s still unclear where the search will begin.

As mentioned earlier, it could start near the shoreline here or even on the volcano island behind us — which you can see from here — since there are fish cages there too.

For now, we remain on standby to see where the search will actually begin, and most importantly, whether the press will be allowed to approach the area.

There’s also the possibility of using the Philippine Navy’s ROV, which is equipped with similar capabilities.