MANILA, June 3 -- The Philippine National Police (PNP) expressed full confidence in the organization's Forensic Group to resolve the years-long mystery of the missing "sabungeros" (cockfighting enthusiasts) following the discovery of 1,400 human bone fragments in Taal Lake, Batangas.

"Identifying over a thousand bone fragments is undeniably a tall order for our forensic teams, but I have absolute confidence in the expertise and capability of the PNP Forensic Group," PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said in a statement on Wednesday.

Nartatez directed forensic teams to mobilize all specialized personnel and utilize the PNP's advanced DNA technologies to expedite the examination.

He also ordered police units in CALABARZON to str...