A total of 887 bones recovered from the ongoing Taal investigation have been confirmed to be of human origin, the Department of Justice (DOJ) reported.

DOJ spokesperson Atty. Polo Martinez said that between July 10 and October 12, authorities collected 981 bone fragments from 35 recoveries, which included sacks and nets containing various remains. Among these, three sets of human remains composed of 264 bones were identified.

The search operations in Taal Lake began following claims by whistleblower Julie “Dondon” Patidongan that more than 100 missing cockfight enthusiasts (sabungeros) were abducted, killed, and dumped into the lake.

Earlier, the murder complaint filed against businessman Charlie “Atong” Ang, actress Gretchen Barretto, and several others in connection with the missing sabungeros was submitted for resolution.

Martinez added that no positive DNA matches have been found so far from the retrieved bones. He said authorities have already collected DNA samples from 33 families of the missing sabungeros for comparison.