The Department of Justice (DOJ) has approved the filing of criminal charges against businessman Charlie “Atong” Ang and 21 other individuals for their alleged involvement in the disappearance of cockfighting enthusiasts, or the controversial “missing sabungeros” case.
In a statement released Tuesday, Dec. 9, the DOJ said its panel of prosecutors found prima facie evidence with reasonable certainty of conviction to indict Ang and his co-accused.
A total of 26 criminal informations will be filed before the Regional Trial Courts (RTCs) in Lipa City, Batangas, and in Sta. Cruz and San Pablo City, Laguna.
The DOJ did not specify who among Ang and his co-accused will be charged before the three courts.
A copy of the resolution indicting Ang and his co-accused before the courts was not made public.
The charges stem from consolidated complaints involving the disappearance of more than 30 cockfighting aficionados, allegedly linked to game-fixing in online sabong operations.
Ang’s legal counsel, Atty. Gabriel Villareal, denounced the DOJ’s ruling, describing it as “deeply flawed and grossly unfair to the accused.”
Villareal said he will likely file a motion for reconsideration asking the DOJ to reverse its decision to include his client in the charge sheet for kidnapping with homicide and kidnapping with serious illegal detention.
“The ruling, while likely given the bias apparent from DOJ conduct, suffers from clear factual gaps and substantial inconsistencies. Clearly the panel relied heavily on the flawed testimony of a lone witness whose integrity is irreversibly compromised,” Villareal said.
The witness referred to is Julie Patidongan, whose account led to the filing of the case.
Patidongan earlier tagged Ang and several persons, including policemen, as being involved in the disappearance and killing of more than 100 sabungeros accused of game-fixing.
Villareal, however, insisted that Patidongan’s testimony was unreliable and pointed out that the DOJ did not recommend charges against the majority of those originally implicated.
“It is unfortunate that the DOJ has been taken for a ride by a dubious witness masquerading as a crusader, out to pin the blame on my client to save his hide,” Villareal said, adding that the Patidongan brothers themselves were not charged despite “clear evidence of their participation.”
The defense team had earlier urged the DOJ to order a reinvestigation by the Philippine National Police-Criminal Detection and Investigation Group (PNP-CIDG), citing serious questions about the legality and fairness of the proceedings. (Jeffrey Damicog, Aaron Recuenco)
