Julie Patidongan’s claims, once speculative, are now tethered to evidence.
The lake, silent for years, corroborated him in a language the courts understand: sacks, bones, and coordinates that matched too precisely to ignore.
It is now anchoring a quiet but accelerating shift within the Department of Justice.
Investigators believe the suspicious objects recovered last week may validate Patidongan’s claim that missing cockfighting enthusiasts were "murdered and dumped."
The bones are undergoing forensic and DNA testing, cross-checked against families of the disappeared.
If matched, the case escalates. From disappearance to murder.
If they don’t? That would point to a bigger problem.
The DOJ is moving carefully, building a case insulated from politics, structured entirely on tangible proof.
Patidongan could seek state witness protextion. But whether he qualifies depends on the court's call.
He brought them the bodies. That doesn’t make him innocent. It just makes him necessary.