Gretchen Barretto—actress, socialite, and longtime headline magnet—finds herself in the middle of a dark and spiraling true-crime saga: the vanishing of over 30 cockfighters, or sabungeros, linked to the high-stakes world of e-sabong in the Philippines.
Barretto vehemently denies accusations painting her as one of the masterminds behind the mysterious disappearances tied to the Pitmasters Group, a prominent player in the digital cockfighting scene. Her only connection to the group? Investor.
“I am merely an investor,” Barretto said through her legal counsel, Alma Mallonga. “I do not know the details of the business.”
The firestorm was ignited by whistleblower Julie Patidongan—better known by his alias “Totoy”—who implicated both Barretto and controversial businessman Charlie “Atong” Ang in the scandal.
He claimed Barretto was not just involved, but an “alpha member” of the Pitmasters inner circle—an assertion Mallonga has dismissed as baseless and illogical.
“Totoy admits he hasn’t seen or heard anything directly from Ms. Barretto,” Mallonga explained. “His conclusions are nothing more than malicious speculation, anchored solely on her association with Mr. Ang.”
Still, the Department of Justice is paying attention. With Patidongan’s accusations and parallel claims from another former Ang associate, Alan Bantiles—who alleged Ang was behind not just the disappearances but the deaths of the missing men—a case build-up is already in motion. Barretto and Ang have been named suspects.
Barretto’s camp, however, says the whole story stinks of desperation. According to Mallonga, the whistleblower approached Barretto asking for money in exchange for being spared from accusation—an offer Barretto refused.
“She had done nothing wrong,” Mallonga said plainly. “This is an absurd proposition. It is a plain invention.”
Barretto maintains she was never involved in Pitmasters’ day-to-day dealings. She wasn’t part of the operations, didn’t attend meetings, and knew of the disappearances only through media reports. Her role, she insists, was limited to a passive investment alongside around 20 other “alpha” investors.
“She is being crucified without basis,” Mallonga added. “Wishful thinking borne out of malicious desperation is not evidence.”
Barretto isn’t just fighting for her name. She says she wants justice—for the missing, and for herself. But only if it’s served straight.
“All Ms. Barretto wants is a fair, objective investigation,” Mallonga said.
