Relatives of missing sabungeros  exit the building after meeting with Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla in his office inside the Department of Justice on January 13, 2023. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News/File

Jonathan Frederic De Santos

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1751807407296missing-sabungeros-kin.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Relatives of missing sabungeros exit the building after meeting with Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla in his office inside the Department of Justice on January 13, 2023. <em>George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News/File</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — Recent allegations by a whistleblower — <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/12/01/22/kidnapping-raps-filed-vs-2-men-seen-with-missing-sabungero">also among the accused in the case</a> — have dragged big names, those of a gaming tycoon and of a former actress, into disappearances that began more than four years ago.</p><p>Because they were not famous, the missing 34 — whistleblower &quot;Totoy&quot; claims there are more than 100 victims — have been described by the blanket term &quot;sabungeros&quot;, or cockfighting enthusiasts.</p><p>But not all those who have gone missing are sabungeros. Among the disappearances that the Senate investigated in 2022 are of a seller of chicken feed, several drivers and &quot;helpers&quot;, and a helper&#x27;s girlfriend.</p><p>Of those missing when the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs held hearings, &quot;the last known location of the missing individuals are either inside or within the premises or vicinity of cockpit arenas&quot; in Manila and in Laguna and Batangas.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/7/3/who-is-totoy-whistleblower-in-missing-sabungeros-reveals-identity-1659"><strong>Who is ‘Totoy’? Whistleblower in missing sabungeros steps out of the shadows</strong></a></div><p>Those arenas were managed and operated by Lucky 8 Star Quest Inc., where Charlie &quot;Atong&quot; Ang — the gaming tycoon &quot;Totoy&quot; is linking to the abductions — was vice president. <strong></strong><br/></p><div><br/></div><div><strong>ABDUCTED FOR &#x27;GAME-FIXING&#x27;?<br/></strong></div><p>&quot;The victims of these abductions went to cockfight arenas with their fighting cocks to participate in cockfighting; after some fights, security personnel of the arenas held them and suspected them of game-fixing due to the result of their games; from then on, all of them disappeared,&quot; the committee wrote in <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://web.senate.gov.ph/lisdata/3759233996!.pdf">Committee Report 646</a>.</p><p>&quot;Totoy&quot;, who has since revealed his identity as Julie &quot;Dondon&quot; Patidongan, a longtime farm manager for Ang, has accused his former boss of being behind the abductions and killings of the &quot;sabungeros&quot;. </p><p>The bodies, he said, have been dumped in Taal Lake — a claim that the Department of Justice is trying to arrange diving expeditions to verify.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/7/5/bones-of-missing-sabungeros-can-still-be-recovered-from-taal-if-bodies-really-dumped-there-dost-1310"><strong>Bones of missing sabungeros can still be recovered from Taal if bodies really dumped there: DOST<br/></strong></a></div><p>&quot;Gumagawa kasi sila ng kalokohan, pandaraya sa sabong kaya gusto ni ipaligpit ni Mr. Atong Ang. Dahil ayaw niyang masira ang kanyang online sabong at liliit ang kanyang kita,&quot; &quot;Totoy&quot; told ABS-CBN News.</p><p>(They were fixing the cockfights so Mr. Atong Ang wanted them put away. Because he didn&#x27;t want his profits to go down if his e-sabong games are discredited)</p><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qbYmdZxK-ZY?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></div><p>E-sabong, where people could place bets on cockfights streamed online, <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/05/03/22/duterte-orders-end-of-e-sabong-operations">was banned in May 2022</a> but boomed during the pandemic lockdowns.</p><p>Regulator Philippine Amusements and Gaming Corp. told the Senate in 2022 total bets on e-sabong had reached more than P42.7 billion as of February that year, with revenue from the games <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/03/16/22/sayang-duterte-rejects-e-sabong-suspension-cites-billions-in-revenue">a factor in initial hesitation to banning them</a>.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>ANG: WHISTLEBLOWERS ONLY WANT MONEY</strong></div><p>Ang this week <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/7/2/businessman-atong-ang-to-file-charges-vs-missing-sabungeros-whistleblowers-2053">filed criminal complaints</a> against Patidongan and another whistleblower — Alan Bantiles, alias &quot;Brown&quot; — who he accused of trying to extort money from him.</p><p>Ang, through counsel, called the allegations &quot;entirely false, baseless, and malicious&quot; as he &quot;categorically and unequivocally&quot; denied any involvement in the disappearances and alleged killings.</p><p>Ang had defended Patidongan at the Senate hearings, calling him a &quot;trusted employee who is responsible in overseeing construction jobs for different cockpit arenas.&quot;</p><div><a class="fr-green" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/7/3/atong-ang-hints-at-extortion-in-missing-sabungeros-case-puno-t-dulo-nito-pera-1108"><strong>Atong Ang hints at extortion in &#x27;missing sabungeros&#x27; case: &#x27;Puno’t dulo nito pera&#x27;<br/></strong></a></div><p>His lawyer Lorna Kapunan has since cast doubt on Patidongan after that trust was breached. </p><p>&quot;All of these people who have disappeared, whose whereabouts are unknown or presumably killed were under his (Patidongan) direct supervision,&quot; she told DZMM Teleradyo this week.</p><p>She also pointed to complaints — since dismissed — that had been filed against Patidongan, including frustrated murder, robbery with intimidation, physical injuries, and grave threats, since 2019.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>GRETCHEN BARRETTO: I AM JUST AN INVESTOR</strong></div><p>Patidongan has also implicated former actress Gretchen Barretto of involvement in the abductions, saying she knew details of the sabong operations as an &quot;alpha member&quot; of Ang&#x27;s Pitmasters Group.</p><p>He also called on Barretto to be a witness in the government&#x27;s investigation into the disappearances.</p><p>Barretto, through counsel, has acknowledged that she is an investor but had no knowledge of the sabong and e-sabong operations.</p><p>&quot;While he has not witnessed anything that Ms. Barretto has said or done, the whistleblower maliciously speculates she must nonetheless somehow be involved because of her close connection with Mr. Atong Ang,&quot; Baretto said through lawyer Alma Mallonga.</p><div><a class="fr-green" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/7/4/gretchen-barretto-not-involved-in-sabong-operations-sabungero-disappearances-lawyer-1418"><strong>Gretchen Barretto not involved in sabong operations, sabungero disappearances — lawyer<br/></strong></a></div><p>The Department of Justice now considers Ang and Barretto <a class="fr-strong fr-green" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/7/3/atong-ang-gretchen-barretto-now-suspects-in-missing-sabungeros-case-doj-1443">suspects</a>, with Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla saying cases will be filed &quot;sooner than later.&quot;</p><p>Yet to be named, but mentioned by Patidongan as involved in the abductions are <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/7/2/whistleblower-former-vice-mayor-actress-other-officials-allegedly-involved-in-missing-sabungeros-1256">police officers, a former vice mayor and a former judge</a>, who he said &quot;fixed&quot; cases by talking to judges and prosecutors.</p><div><a class="fr-green" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/7/4/15-cops-under-restricted-custody-for-executing-sabungeros-doj-1318"><strong>15 cops under restricted custody for executing sabungeros: DOJ<br/></strong></a></div><p>In the meantime, the DOJ is waiting for the cooperation of the Navy, Coast Guard, <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/7/4/philippines-asks-japan-s-help-searching-lake-for-missing-cockfighters-1613">Japanese experts</a> and the weather to try to verify the claim that bodies were dumped in Taal Lake.</p><p>Until then, and until the cases are resolved, families of those missing continue to wait for answers and for justice.</p><p>Eloisa Bohol, whose son, sabong financier Kiel Daniel Bohol,  disappeared in May 2021 with five other in their cockfighting group, said the new developments give her hope after repeatedly being told there was no evidence against the alleged abductors.</p><p>“Sabi nga po ng isang senador sa amin, ‘yung kalaban namin mas malaki pa ang pera niya sa pera ng Pilipinas,&quot; she said.</p><p>(As one senator told us, we are up against someone with more money than the country has) </p><div><a class="fr-green" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/7/4/-sana-may-hustisya-para-sa-aming-mahihirap-missing-sabungeros-kin-0926"><strong>&#x27;Sana may hustisya para sa aming mahihirap&#x27;: missing sabungeros’ kin find hope for justice after 4 years</strong></a></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/k0tt4DGLPiU?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></div><p>Remulla, whose office has been investigating the disappearances since he was appointed justice secretary, acknowledged the process has been long.</p><p>&quot;Walang matumal diyan, walang mabilis… walang instant sa prosecution, lahat ito tinatrabaho,&quot; he said.</p><p>(There is no slow or fast... there is nothing instant about prosecution, you have to work on it)</p><p>He promised, however, that the government will keep working the case, saying resolving them is in the interest of the state, not just of the private complainants.</p><p>&quot;We have to be satisfied, not just our curiosity, but our sense of justice,&quot; he told reporters this week. <strong>— from reports by Lyza Aquino, Marilyn Cahatol, Ched Rick Gatchalian Job Manahan, Christopher Sitson, ABS-CBN News</strong></p>

<p>Recent allegations by a whistleblower — also among the accused in the case— have dragged big names, those of a gaming tycoon and of a former actress, into disappearances that began more than four years ago.</p>

Recent allegations by a whistleblower — also among the accused in the case— have dragged big names, those of a gaming tycoon and of a former actress, into disappearances that began more than four years ago.

WRAP: Flurry of allegations revives dormant ‘missing sabungeros’ case

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WRAP: Flurry of allegations revives dormant ‘missing sabungeros’ case

Jonathan de Santos,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jul 06, 2025 10:04 PM PHT

Read More:

Missing Sabungeros

Atong Ang

Gretchen Barretto

Taal Lake

E-sabong

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