MANILA — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) is preparing a high-stakes underwater search for the remains of 34 missing cockfighting fanatics allegedly dumped in the treacherous depths of Taal Lake. But the active volcano looming over the waters could blow their mission.

PCG spokesperson Captain Noemie Guirao-Cayabyab confirmed to reporters Wednesday that 60 divers are on standby after a key suspect in the bizarre case, known only as “Totoy,” claimed the victims—vanished “sabungeros” (cockfighters)—were thrown into the lake. The grisly tip came as the suspect flipped to become a government witness.

“As of now, wala pa kaming narereceive na formal request, pero upon issuance of the statement ni Secretary Remulla that time, nagdeploy na ang PCG District Southern Tagalog ng ating mga tao to conduct the seaborne patrol operations. Nakastandby na rin ang ating technical divers in case na kakailanganin na magstart na ang operations,” Guirao-Cayabyab said in an interview with reporters at the PCG Headquarters in Manila.

But retrieving the bodies won’t be easy. Taal Lake, one of the deepest in the Philippines at a staggering 174 meters (570 feet), is a murky, volatile battleground.

Deep Dive into Danger?

The PCG admits this would be the first-ever body retrieval operation in Taal Lake’s extreme depths. While their divers are trained, their deepest missions so far have only gone 100 meters down.

“Ang nakikita naming magiging challenge is yung lalim at lapad ng Taal Lake. We have 174 meters in depth. Although may experience ang ating technical divers, per history ng kanilang operations, they just dived hanggang 100 meters in depth,” Guirao-Cayabyab noted.

“This would be the first time [na magkakaroon ng retrieval ng bodies sa Taal Lake]. May previous incidents na tayo na dineploy ang ating technical divers, pero ang challenge dito ay medyo matagal na eh, compared noon na after ng release ng reports, nagpadala na agad ng divers natin. This would be a challenging deployment,” the official stressed.

The DOJ, led by Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, is pushing for the dive to verify “Totoy’s” claims, but the PCG is still waiting for official orders.

PCG Calls for Navy Backup Amid Volcano Threat

With the risks sky-high, the PCG is calling in reinforcements. “We would take this opportunity na magkaroon ng coordination with the Philippine Navy,” Guirao-Cayabyab said.

But even with backup, the Taal Volcano’s unrest could keep divers grounded. If the mountain rumbles, the mission could be scrapped entirely, as volcanologists placed the volcano under Alert Level 1, which means the volcano is still in abnormal condition and is still subject to several restrictions.

“We cannot deploy as of the moment so we will wait for it (the volcano) to normalize,” Guirao-Cayabyab added.

For now, the families of the missing “sabungeros” who vanished in a string of mysterious kidnappings linked to the underground cockfighting world must wait as the clock ticks and Taal’s waters keep their secrets.

“We can’t say [what to expect] in the meantime. Depende iyon sa ibibigay sa atin na instruction ng Department of Justice, kung anong evidence ang kailangang hanapin sa operation,” Guirao-Cayabyab stressed.

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