Atong, Gretchen contest missing sabungeros raps

Gambling tycoon Charlie “Atong” Ang’s lawyer on Thursday questioned the handling of the evidence in the case of the disappearance of sabungeros or cockfight enthusiasts, saying that gaps in the investigation undermine their ability to respond to the charges.

Ang skipped the preliminary investigation hearing at the Department of Justice (DoJ) but was represented by his counsel, Gabriel Villareal, who said the respondents, including Ang and actress Gretchen Barretto, had received incomplete documents from the police and prosecutors.

“The subpoena served to us was incomplete. Out of seven USBs identified in the annexes, only two were included. The rest were just photocopies of the USBs, without the actual data,” Villareal said. “How can we respond properly if the evidence itself is missing?”

The USBs were thought to contain vital pieces of evidence.

Villareal said the delays were also due to the complainants, including whistleblower Julie Patidongan, only recently swearing to their affidavits before the prosecutor.

He stressed that Ang was not even an accused in certain cases being linked to him, pointing out that complainant “Silarta” had charged Patidongan and his co-accused, not Ang.

“The ones with a motive to settle are the accused themselves, especially since Patidongan’s bail was reversed by the court,” he said. “Why would Ang attempt to settle when he is not even charged? It is the accused who stands to benefit from any compromise.”

The lawyer cautioned that reopening or reinvestigating long-running cases could undo years of proceedings since the complaints were first filed in 2022. He said that efforts to drag Ang’s name into the controversy may be part of a “modus operandi” by those actually facing charges.

“They put other people’s names forward to cover their own wrongdoing,” Villareal said.