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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Atong Ang welcomes charges; lawyer warns of motive of 'missing sabungeros' whistleblower

Atong Ang welcomes charges; lawyer warns of motive of 'missing sabungeros' whistleblower

Published Aug 3, 2025 08:22 pm
Gaming tycoon Charlie “Atong” Ang files raps against Julie “Dondon” Patidongan alias “Totoy” and Alan Bantiles alias “Brown” who accused him to be the mastermind behind the abduction of several cockfight watchers before the Mandaluyong City Prosecutor's Office on Thursday, July 3, 2025. (Santi San Juan)
Gaming tycoon Charlie “Atong” Ang files raps against Julie “Dondon” Patidongan alias “Totoy” and Alan Bantiles alias “Brown” who accused him to be the mastermind behind the abduction of several cockfight watchers before the Mandaluyong City Prosecutor's Office on Thursday, July 3, 2025. (Santi San Juan)
The filing of criminal cases against businessman Charlie “Atong” Ang will be an opportunity to clear his name on the issue of the missing cockfigthers, or sabungeros in the proper forum, his legal counsel said on Sunday, Aug. 3.
Lawyer Gabriel L. Villareal maintained that his client is innocent of the allegations being raised by Julie “Dondon” Patidongan, who claimed to be a former trusted man of Ang as he confessed his role in the case of the missing sabungeros.
But Villareal said Patidongan’s testimony is flawed, self-serving and unsubstantiated and warned the public and the authorities of his credibility.
“It is lamentable though that the public is being deceived by the wolf in sheep’s clothing, and being the master manipulator that he is, has embedded himself amongst the victims of the tragedy that he himself has perpetrated,” said Villareal.
“Patidongan’s story is a fabrication, he must be exposed as he will soon be,” he added.
Patidongan, who used the alias Totoy, recently surfaced and provided information to the police and the Department of Justice about the case of the missing sabungeros, including the alleged dumping of the cadavers into the Taal Lake.
Police earlier said human remains were retrieved from the Taal Lake, but admitted that forensics experts could no longer extract DNA from them.
In his testimony, Patidongan named Ang, policemen and some personalities as involved in the disappearance of the cockfighters.
Ang earlier denied the allegation and filed the case against Patidongan.
For Villareal, the case filed against Ang is an opportunity to expose what he described as self-serving and unsubstantiated testimony of Patidongan.
While he expressed expressed sympathy for the victims’ families and admiration for their persistence in the search for truth and justice, Villareal urged them to behind and beyond Patidongan’s sudden “awakening” and the timing of his testimony.
“We welcome the formal filing of cases against my client as this is an opportunity for him to address the innuendoes being bandied about, in the appropriate legal forum,” said Villareal.
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