Businessman Charlie “Atong” Ang and his celebrity girlfriend Gretchen Barretto are among those under investigation over the disappearance of about 100 “sabungeros” or cockfight enthusiasts, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla said on Thursday, July 3.

Ang and Barretto have to be included in the probe as suspects because they were named by a witness, Remulla said.

He said the complaints against them and the other suspects will be filed “sooner than later.”

A suspect, Julie “Dondon “Patidongan who is also known as “Totoy,” revealed in a television interview the alleged involvement of Ang and Barretto in the disappearance and deaths of the “sabungeros.”

Patidongan said: “Actually, there are 20 people in the alpha list. Ang tinatawag na alpha list ‘yung alpha group ng e-sabong (The alpha list is the alpha group of the online cockfight or e-sabong). The alpha group is the main group.”

Due to Patidongan’s revelations, Ang filed before the Mandaluyong City Prosecutor’s Office a criminal complaint against “Totoy” and Alan Bantiles of attempted robbery with violence and intimidation, grave threat, grave coercion, incrimination against innocent persons, and slander.

Ang denied involvement in the disappearance of the missing “sabungeros” and claimed that those he charged demanded P300 million from him so that he will not be named as being involved in the crime.

But Remulla said that whatever Ang claims “cannot affect us anymore” as the secretary pointed out that “we are working for the truth and not on their claims.”

Thus, he also said, the investigation will proceed and “we will do what we have to do and hindi pwede daanin sa publicity ito (this cannot be done through publicity),” he said.

He also lamented that several quarters believed that nothing will come out in the investigation because some powerful persons are involved.

But he said the DOJ continues to persevere and does not lose faith that justice will be done in the case of “missing sabungeros.”