Fugitive Charlie “Atong” Ang continues to evade capture, with authorities failing to locate him in 10 separate search operations last week despite a ₱20-million reward for his arrest, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) admitted on Tuesday, Feb. 17.
DILG Secretary Juanito Victor “Jonvic’’ Remulla said the raids were based on intelligence reports but yielded no trace of Ang at the target sites.
Still, he expressed confidence that Ang will eventually be apprehended, vowing that the manhunt will remain relentless and further intensified.
Earlier, Ang’s former right-hand man Julie Patindongan—star witness in the case of missing “sabungeros’’ (cockfight enthusiasts)—claimed his ex-boss was hiding in Cambodia.
But Cambodian authorities dismissed the allegation, assuring the Philippine government that Ang is not in their country.
Remulla maintained that Ang is likely still in the Philippines, though his vast influence and connections across government agencies have complicated efforts to arrest him.
He lamented the difficulty of finding trustworthy allies, noting Ang’s estimated ₱1 billion daily earnings from online gambling over five years.
“Pinakamahirap na bahagi ng trabaho ko ‘yung penetration niya sa lahat ng hanay ng gobyerno. Sa dami ng pera niya ang hirap maghanap ngayon ng katiwala na bigyan ka ng solid na trabaho para mahanap siya,’’ Remulla said.
He also pointed to the country’s porous southern border near Malaysia as a challenge, where pump boats can easily cross and some municipalities even use the Malaysian ringgit more than the peso due to stronger trade ties.
Acknowledging his patience is wearing thin, Remulla raised the bounty for Ang’s arrest to ₱20 million, urging the public to provide credible information that could finally lead to the fugitive’s capture. (Chito Chavez)
