Navy on missing sabungeros’ search: Drones first, divers a last resort

Taal Volcano  —SHERWIN TAN

MANILA, Philippines — Underwater drones could be deployed first before sending in divers in search of the missing sabungeros in Taal Lake, the Philippine Navy said on Tuesday.

Navy spokesperson Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, who is also a Navy SEAL, said this is the typical way the rescue teams do it.

“Before sending the diver, we could send underwater drones to check on the safety,” Trinidad said in a regular press conference.

Trinidad even said that underwater objects could be retrieved without sending a diver.

“The moment we find what we have to recover, whether it’s an object or a cadaver, we could attach the connecting points to them and lift them up without sending any divers,” he said, adding: “The last option is to send down the technical divers.”

Trinidad noted that a technical diving team consists of two divers, one standby diver, and a diving supervisor.

“So normally on occasion like this, we send out three technical teams that will rotate,” he said.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said the department is planning to tap the technical divers of the Navy and the Philippine Coast Guard to verify the accounts of alias “Totoy.”

Alias “Totoy” has alleged that the 34 missing cockfighters are buried in the lake in an exclusive interview with GMA News.

READ: 34 missing ‘sabungero’ buried in Taal Lake – report

Trinidad reiterated that to date, the Navy has yet to receive an official request for assistance from the DOJ. Once getting the green light, divers from the Naval Special Operations Group, an elite unit of the Navy, will be deployed.

“They can be dispatched anytime, anywhere, anyplace,” he said./coa