Now that multiple counts of murder and serious illegal detention have been filed against businessman Charlie “Atong” Ang and his alleged cohorts over the disappearance of at least 34 “sabungeros” (cockfight enthusiasts), it will be interesting to see how the case unfolds, particularly when it reaches the court.
It would appear that the Department of Justice is determined to pursue justice for the missing sabungeros in view of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla’s belief in the testimonies of whistleblower Julie “Dondon” Patidongan and his brothers Elakim and Jose. But given the slow pace of justice in the local courts, we can’t avoid wondering how many more years their families would have to wait for justice to be served.
This will be a test of the sincerity of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s statement in his fourth state of the nation address (SONA) last Monday that a whole-of-government approach is in place “to solve” the crime involving these missing persons.
“Nagtutulungan ang buong pamahalaan para lutasin ang mga kaso ng mga nawawala dahil sa walang pakundangang kagagawan ng mga sindikato sa likod ng madilim na mundo ng mga sabungan (The entire government is working together to solve the cases of missing persons due to the ruthless actions of syndicates behind the dark world of the cockpits),” he said.
“Hahabulin at pananagutin natin ang mga utak at mga sangkot, sibilyan man o opisyal. Kahit malakas, mabigat, o mayaman, hindi sila mangingibabaw sa batas (We will go after and hold accountable the masterminds and those involved — be it civilians or officials, no matter how strong, heavily influential or wealthy they are, they will not prevail over the law),” he assured.
“Higit sa lahat, ipararamdam natin sa mga salarin ang bigat ng parusa sa karumal-dumal na krimen na mga ito (Most of all, we will make the perpetrators feel the weight of the punishment for these heinous crimes),” he vowed.
The assurance may have somehow given the families of the missing sabungeros a glimpse of hope for justice. However, filing cases against the suspected perpetrators is far from considering the case solved. It’s just an initial step.
Although Marcos issued Executive Order 9 on Dec. 8, 2022, suspending all online sabong operations nationwide, he didn’t say how his administration plans to address illegal gambling. His 2022 order for an aggressive crackdown against illegal operations of e-sabong has been defied brazenly, as these continue to operate openly.
The sabungeros went missing without a trace during the Duterte administration, from 2021 to early 2022, initially involving 34 agents of online “sabong” (cockfight) and workers at Ang’s farms, where gamecocks are raised. Recently, Patidongan claimed there were actually 108 sabungeros who have disappeared after they were linked to alleged cheating or match-fixing in the cockfights. Patidongan was a suspect in a 2022 case involving the disappearance of the initial 34 missing sabungeros.
In early 2024, measures were proposed in Congress to ban all online cockfighting, saying it has become a platform for uncontrolled online gambling that facilitates corruption and gambling addiction. The bills were stalled. Reps. Rolando Valeriano, Rufus Rodriguez and Bienvenido Abante have refiled their own versions of the bill, and these have been referred to the games and amusements committee for public hearings. Let’s see if the president would certify any of these measures for urgent legislation.
In a recent media interview, Remulla said DOJ investigators are looking into claims that Ang’s group is well connected not only in the law enforcement agencies and politics but also in the courts. While he didn’t name names, he said incumbent justices in the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court were mentioned to be in Ang’s pocket. Will these people be unmasked and ultimately be held accountable?
Remulla said Patidongan, 45, who initially came out a few weeks ago using an alias “Totoy,” sounded to be a credible witness because he was so deeply embedded in Ang’s operations, which the justice secretary has described as a criminal organization.
The police have also taken custody of Elakim Patidongan, brother of Dondon, who has reportedly given a detailed account of how he personally witnessed the killing of 10 of the missing sabungeros. Remulla said his testimony is a rare and valuable insight into the inner workings of the supposed criminal syndicate allegedly headed by Ang.
Dondon Patidongan worked for Ang’s Lucky 8 Star Quest, the operator of cockpit arenas where some of the missing sabungeros, suspected to have been involved in cheating Ang’s operations, were last seen.
Remulla cited the existence of video and audio recordings, photos and other documentary proof that tend to validate the statements against Ang, 67, who claims that his name has been dragged into the case of the missing sabungeros because he had refused to give in to extortion attempts by Dondon Patidongan, his former farm manager in charge of the cockpit operations and security.
Ang and Patidongan are said to have been best friends for more than 15 years. Now they’re engaged in an exchange of dizzying accusations over the mysterious disappearance of the sabungeros.
This episode is more than about broken friendships. This involves what looks like a criminal syndicate, as Remulla has described it, that has taken the lives of more than a hundred individuals who have disappeared without trace and destroyed probably thousands of others who got hooked on e-sabong.
Will the whistleblowers and other witnesses keep to their statements until the end, unlike in many high-profile cases in past years in which key witnesses recanted their affidavits, some of whom claimed to have been coerced into testifying falsely.
The president’s credibility will also be at stake here given his assurance that the administration “will make perpetrators feel the weight of the punishment for these heinous crimes.”
The views in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of VERA Files.
This column also appeared in The Manila Times.
