Philippine Murder Probe Tied to Nation's Power Elite
Philippine Murder Probe Tied to Nation's Power EliteComplex web of 'sabong justice' hounds Filipino Chinese businessman
By: Tita C. Valderama
The Philippines is dealing with a stunning case involving as many as 108 murders that embroils top police officials, the former head of the Philippine Judges Association, appellate and Supreme Court justices, a popular movie star, insinuations linking former president Rodrigo Duterte, and a powerful Filipino-Chinese businessman once jailed for corrupting former president Joseph “Erap” Estrada. Charlie “Atong” Ang is embroiled in serious felony charges involving the disappearance of the sabungeros (cockfight enthusiasts), many of whom were allegedly murdered by police, including some who were said to have been involved with Duterte’s alleged death squads, with their sandbagged bodies thrown to a scenic 198-meter-deep volcanic lake in southwestern Luzon. The case has alarmed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, who mentioned the issue in his annual State of the Nation address to the joint session of Congress on July 28, vowing to go after the masterminds and others involved, no matter how powerful, connected, or wealthy, he said, adding that they will not be above the law. “We will make the perpetrators feel the weight of the punishment for their heinous crimes.” But he didn’t say how his administration plans to address illegal gambling. So far, remarkably nobody has been charged, a mark of the ability of powerful people to escape the criminal justice system even though Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla cites the existence of video and audio recordings, photos and other documentary proof that tend to validate the statements against Ang, 67, who claims his name has been dragged into the case of the missing sabungeros because he had refused to give in to extortion attempts by the self-confessed whistle blower, his former farm manager Julie “Dondon” Patidongan, alias ‘Totoy,’ 45. Patidongan worked for Ang’s Lucky 8 Star Quest, the operator of cockpit arenas where some of the missing sabungeros, thought to have been involved in cheating Ang’s operations, were last seen. Ang and Patidongan were said to be best friends for more than 15 years. Now they’re engaged in an exchange of dizzying accusations over the mysterious disappearance of the sabungeros. Remulla said 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. Although he didn’t name names, he said the sitting appellate and Supreme Court justices are suspected of being in Ang’s pocket. Felix Reyes, the former head of the Philippine Judges Association, has been accused of fixing cases for Ang, which he denies. Duterte, now detained in The Hague for crimes against humanity in connection with thousands of deaths under his brutal drug war, in 2018 described Ang as the “No. 1 gambler” in Davao who “seems to have a hold on everything.” The then-president said he told Ang to stop all the illegal activities at the state-run Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office and “do something to help the government.” Before that, Ang had wanted to operate nationwide the Small Town Lottery, a legitimized alternative to jueteng, an illegal but popular numbers game among poor Filipinos. Instead of stopping illegal gambling, it would appear that Ang’s gaming business has flourished. During a 2022 Senate inquiry, Ang said gross daily bets in online or livestreamed cockfights average PHP1 billion to PHP2 billion (US$17.50-34.98 million), or PHP30 billion to PHP60 billion ($525 million to $1.05 billion) a month. His company would get 5 percent or PHP3 billion ($52.49 million) a month from it. The government’s share in the form of taxes was a measly PHP640 million ($11.20 million) a month. Reports about the sabungeros disappearing without a trace first came out in early 2021 to 2022, initially involving 34 agents of online sabong (cockfight) and workers at Ang’s farm where gamecocks are raised. Recently, Patidongan claimed 108 sabungeros are missing, their disappearance linked to alleged cheating or match-fixing. “The cleverness of Ang was seeing that the law placed the national government firmly in charge of cockfighting, but a loophole conceded small-scale cockfights to local governments, which needed no one's leave to have them,” said a well-informed source. “Have enough of them and you have constant feed from the 24/7 online cockfighting he dreamt up. The sums involved were immense, and the financing was streamlined because bets could be placed by means of GCash, eliminating so many small fry middlemen.” These former collectors who formerly consolidated regional earnings to remit he says, “were suddenly cut out, seemingly now under pressure to make up for lost income in this bonanza, leading to the temptation to which so many succumbed — and which got them rubbed out,” although, it must be pointed out, there is no evidence beyond Patidongan’s assertions as to who killed them. But, the source said, “They started throwing, or rigging, fights. This is why they ended up in the lake.” Cockfighting, considered part of the Filipino culture, exploded online during the Covid pandemic, attracting even minors, livestreamed through a dedicated channel where people could watch and place bets via specialized apps. The online operation was legitimized in 2012 under state regulation through the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, but was suspended in 2022 following reports about the missing sabungeros. The Senate investigated it, but Remulla said clandestine operations continued. Patidongan, who was in charge of Ang’s cockfighting operations and manager of his farms, first publicly surfaced last July when he announced his plan to file charges against police officers allegedly involved in the disappearances. A few weeks before that, he existed as alias Totoy, with his face blurred and voice disguised to mask his identity, providing piecemeal information that led to identifying Ang as the mastermind behind the disappearance.
Ang was quoted as saying Patidongan’s area of responsibility covered cockfighting operations in four provinces Laguna; and the Santa Ana district of Manila, the site of the Manila Arena, where six sabungeros went missing in 2022 with Patidongan and five others accused of kidnapping and illegal detention. He also had authority over the farm’s security personnel and manpower deployment. Suspect-turned-whistle blower Patidongan and the five others — Gleer Codilla, Mark Carlo Zabala, Virgilio Bayog, Johnry Consolacion, and Roberto Matillano Jr. — are facing six counts each of kidnapping and serious illegal detention over the disappearance of the six from Rizal province. They were charged in 2022, but are under provisional liberty because a lower court granted their petition for bail, although kidnapping is typically non-bailable. The cases are pending in court. Last July 14, families of the missing sabungeros joined Patidongan in filing a complaint before the National Police Commission against 18 officers who allegedly abducted and transported them from Ang’s farms to Taal Lake, naming retired police lieutenant general Jonnel Estomo, former director of the national capital region’s police office, among the ranking officers involved in the disappearances. He added that as many as 30 more inactive cops were involved in the disappearances. Estomo, he said, belongs to a so-called Alpha Group of three people who divide P70 million monthly among themselves from the e-sabong proceeds. Estomo, he said, suggested to Ang to have him killed.
The next day, the three-star Estomo, once considered among the top contenders to become Philippine National Police chief, vehemently denied involvement and said his lawyers have been preparing to sue Patidongan for dragging his name without proof. Lawyer Rafael Vicente Calinisan, vice chairperson and executive officer of NAPOLCOM, said five of the police officers had been dismissed from the service while 13 others are facing administrative charges of grave misconduct and conduct unbecoming of a police officer, with penalties ranging from suspension to dismissal. An inter-agency team with divers from the Philippine Coast Guard and the Philippine National Police has launched a search operation in the stunningly picturesque Taal Lake, a national tourism attraction, for the remains of the missing sabungeros, following leads from Patidongan. Sacks containing what appeared like human bones have been retrieved from the freshwater lake, which surrounds an active volcano. Patidongan claimed that Ang initially offered him P300 million to recant his affidavit and raised the amount to P500 million when he refused. He also tagged actress Gretchen Barretto, who acknowledged that she is an investor in Ang’s gaming operations, as a suspect in the disappearances. Both Ang and Barretto, who are said to be romantically linked, have denied the allegations.
It’s conspiracy, extortion - Ang Ang has fired back, claiming Patidongan extorted PHP300 million from him, a statement supported by lawyer Caroline Cruz, executive director of Ang’s Pitmaster Foundation. Cruz said the amount was first broached by Allan Bantiles, alias Brown, who was negotiating it for Patidongan. Ang also spoke of Patidongan’s supposed plan to abduct him for ransom then kill him. Ang said he became suspicious of Patidongan when he learned in 2023 that the man he trusted allegedly plotted to abduct him, extort money from his family, and then kill him. On July 3, Ang filed a complaint at the Mandaluyong prosecutor’s office against Patidongan and Bantiles, also a former employee at Ang’s gaming company, for conspiracy to commit attempted robbery with violence against or intimidation of persons, grave threats, grave coercion, slander, and incrimination against innocent persons. During a press conference after filing the complaint, Ang’s lawyer said Bantiles negotiated on behalf of Pantidongan, who was purportedly preparing to leave the country with his family amid the investigations into the missing sabungeros. Ang’s principal counsel, Lorna Kapunan, questioned Patidongan’s credibility as a witness, saying he was charged with multiple counts of attempted murder in 2019 and in 2020, as well as for robbery in 2019. The cases were reportedly dismissed. When the Senate committee on public order investigated the case of the missing sabungeros in 2022, a witness named Denmark Sinfuego testified that Patidongan and his companions were seen in a cock house occupied by those who disappeared before they were later forced to board a light gray van. The testimony was used as basis to charge Patidongan in court. Two other witnesses — Alvin and Darwin Indon — claimed during the Senate hearings that they were victims of the alleged abductions by Lucky 8 Star Quest, another Ang gaming concern. They also pointed to Patidongan as among those who allegedly dealt with sabungeros accused of cheating, known as “pangti-tyope” in the gaming industry, where the game’s results are fixed or predetermined. Ang, in an affidavit, said Patidongan has enriched himself “through various sideline ventures, including but not limited to construction contracts for farm facilities — projects reportedly awarded to him — and the operation of private betting stations at the Manila Arena, where he maintained independent financial interests separate from his formal duties. Patidongan said in media interviews that the properties he has acquired were hard-earned. Ang said he learned about Patidongan’s affidavit last February and that it had been passed around among 16 to 18 people, blackmailing them with a threat of being implicated in the case unless they gave in to Patidongan’s demands. Recently, he said, Patidongan was mentioning only four of them, including his business partners Cesar Salazar, Eric dela Rosa, and Barretto, who are all preparing to sue the whistleblower. Last July 17, PNP chief Torre said the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, when he was still its director, took Patidongan’s sworn statement and forwarded it to the Department of Justice. When asked why the police officers were tapped to abduct and dispose of the sabungeros, Patidongan replied: “Because they carried out extrajudicial killings in the war on drugs before.” “Sabong justice” Justice Secretary Remulla said it would appear that a “hit group” of police officers in Laguna “take on jobs to kill people.” At least 15 have been identified and “restricted to quarters.” He added that what has been known as “sabong justice” has evolved from physically mauling cockfighting cheaters to abducting and butchering them. Remulla sounded optimistic that the missing sabungeros may eventually be served justice, saying that the pieces of “real evidence” now in the hands of government prosecutors appear convincing and strong enough for Patidongan to be considered a “very credible” witness because he was an insider. The disappearance of the sabongeros, he said, involved an “elaborate plot” which, like many organized crimes, will be difficult to identify those at the top. The Justice secretary also said “it’s all about money,” but in a context different from Ang’s. “They (referring to Ang’s group) can get the best lawyers money can buy. With the amount of money they have, they will get the best lawyers money can buy.” An orchestrated public relations and media campaign designed to destroy the credibility of witnesses is already in the works, Remulla said. Hounded by controversies Ang is not new to this kind of controversy. He was co-accused in a PHP4-billion plunder case against then-President Joseph Estrada in 2001, allegedly helping the former president pocket kickbacks from illegal gambling. When Estrada was impeached, Ang flew to the United States where he was arrested by authorities while gambling in Las Vegas. He was placed on house arrest until 2006, when he was extradited to the Philippines where he was detained until 2009. In 2007, Ang plea bargained a lesser offense of corrupting a public official, admitting he plotted with Estrada to divert PHP130 million in tobacco excise taxes of the Ilocos Sur provincial government to their private coffers and promising to return the PHP25 million he had pocketed as commission. Controversies that have hounded Ang revolved around gambling, from engaging in jueteng to small-time lottery to online cockfighting, if not about his romantic relationships with popular showbiz personalities. In 2017, he hit the headlines over virtual jai-alai operations. That time, he claimed that then Justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II and National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon wanted him killed because of his jai-alai operations. Both denied Ang’s accusations. Then came the mysterious disappearance of the sabungeros. Despite the reports, then-President Rodrigo Duterte said in March 2022 that he could not suspend online cockfighting operations commonly known as e-sabong because it was generating monthly revenues of PHP640 million for the government. “In years time, it’s billions plus. Where do we get that money that easy?” he said during a late-night public address. Mounting public pressure prompted Duterte to suspend online sabong more than a month later, citing its social cost. In December 2022, Duterte’s successor, incumbent President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., issued an executive order suspending all online sabong operations nationwide and ordering an aggressive crackdown against illegal operations. In early 2024, laws 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 bill remains stalled. This is among the stories/excerpts we choose to make widely available.If you wish to get the full Asia Sentinel experience and access more exclusive content, please do subscribe to us for US$10/month or US$100/year.
|
