Cheyenne Suarez

Barretto camp questions whistleblower's credibility in missing sabungeros case

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ABS-CBN News

<div><br/></div><p>MANILA — The lawyer of Gretchen Barretto on Wednesday questioned the credibility of Julie &quot;Dondon&quot; Patidongan alias &quot;Totoy,&quot; a whistleblower who accused the actress and businessman Atong Ang of links to the disappearance of several cockfighting enthusiasts.</p><p>Barreto&#x27;s lawyer Alma Mallonga said Patidongan&#x27;s statements were &quot;ridiculous&quot; and had no concrete evidence. She accused Patidongan of sensationalizing the issue to sustain public interest.</p><p> &quot;My understanding is that the status of the case is still case build-up. I don&#x27;t even know if Mr. Whistleblower&#x27;s affidavit has been completed. I understand that he may still be growing his story, he may still be embellishing it. But what I do understand is there may not have been yet a preliminary assessment of Mr. Whistleblower, taken as a whole,&quot; Mallonga said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/7/3/who-is-totoy-whistleblower-in-missing-sabungeros-reveals-identity-1659">Who is ‘Totoy’? Whistleblower in missing sabungeros steps out of the shadows</a></div><p>&quot;The fact of the matter is the witness should not only be credible, his allegations should also be credible,&quot; she added.</p><p>&quot;It&#x27;s fantasy, it&#x27;s invention, it&#x27;s sensationalizing something to sustain interest on what he is saying. But at the end of the day, he is bound by what he already said, and what he already admitted is he has no evidence. Ang sinasabi nya, paniwalaan n&#x27;yo ako dahil ako ay trusted ni Atong Ang (What he was saying was that the public should believe him because he was a trusted man of Atong Ang). How ridiculous is that?&quot;</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/7/4/gretchen-barretto-not-involved-in-sabong-operations-sabungero-disappearances-lawyer-1418">Gretchen Barretto not involved in sabong operations, sabungero disappearances — lawyer</a></div><p>Patidongan had said he was once deeply involved in Ang’s operations, overseeing various farms for around 15 years. But he said everything changed when Ang allegedly began threatening his family’s safety.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/7/6/wrap-flurry-of-allegations-revives-dormant-missing-sabungeros-case-2204">WRAP: Flurry of allegations revives dormant ‘missing sabungeros’ case</a></div><p>Ang, in a press briefing after filing criminal complaints against Patidongan before a Mandaluyong court, acknowledged their close relationship but strongly denied any involvement in the alleged crimes. Instead, he accused Patidongan of extortion.</p><p>Patidongan is among six individuals facing charges of kidnapping and serious illegal detention in connection with the January 2022 disappearance of several sabungeros from Tanay, Rizal.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/7/2/-not-just-30-whistleblower-says-100-sabungeros-gamblers-allegedly-killed-dumped-in-taal-lake-0744">&#x27;NOT JUST 30&#x27;: Whistleblower says 100 sabungeros, gamblers allegedly killed, dumped in Taal Lake</a></div><p>Authorities identified them as members of the security personnel at the Manila Arena, where the victims were reportedly headed for a cockfighting match.</p><p>The missing men — James Baccay, Marlon Baccay, Rondel Cristorum, Mark Joseph Velasco, Rowel Gomez, and their driver, John Claude Inonog — were last seen leaving Tanay around 1 a.m. on January 13, 2022.</p><p>Patidongan had claimed that more than 100 people have gone missing or were killed in connection with illegal gambling operations, including jueteng.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/7/4/philippines-asks-japan-s-help-searching-lake-for-missing-cockfighters-1613">Philippines asks Japan&#x27;s help searching lake for missing cockfighters</a></div><p>He said the victims were killed after they were caught cheating in the cockfighting games.</p><p>Patidongan has linked Ang to the killings, saying the businessman did not want cheating to mar the cockfighting operations.</p><p>Ang has denied all allegations.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/7/9/pcso-chair-denies-case-fixing-for-atong-ang-0915">PCSO chair denies case-fixing for Atong Ang</a></div><div><strong>— With reports from Michael Delizo and Lyza Aquino, ABS-CBN News</strong></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO: </strong></div><div><strong><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/UOjP2UZ_TDo?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>The lawyer of Gretchen Barretto on Wednesday questioned the credibility of Julie "Dondon" Patidongan alias "Totoy," a whistleblower in the case of the missing cockfighting enthusiasts.</p>

The lawyer of Gretchen Barretto on Wednesday questioned the credibility of Julie "Dondon" Patidongan alias "Totoy," a whistleblower in the case of the missing cockfighting enthusiasts.

Gretchen Barretto camp questions whistleblower's credibility in missing sabungeros case

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Gretchen Barretto camp questions whistleblower's credibility in missing sabungeros case

ABS-CBN News

Published Jul 09, 2025 11:34 AM PHT

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