Philippine search teams scour Lake Taal for missing cock fighters as typhoon season looms
Acting on witnesses’ accounts, the police are moving fast to try and locate the bodies before the typhoon season starts
Fifteen police officers are under investigation over a spate of mysterious disappearances in 2022 in the country’s huge cock-fighting industry.
The case erupted back into the public consciousness last month with the televised appearance of a witness claiming to know where bodies had been submerged in Lake Taal, located about two hours south of the capital.
Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla has since said he has “multiple witnesses” who can identify the location of the missing in the lake, which spans more than 230 sq km (89 square miles).
“The purpose of [Thursday’s mission] is to … identify the area covered by the search, see initial water conditions and measure the depth of the covered area,” the justice department said in a statement.
The Philippine Coast Guard will participate in the preliminary assessment alongside police.