The counsel of whistleblower Julie Patidongan said the case of the missing sabungeros is moving forward despite attempts to undermine his client’s credibility.

This was according to Patidongan’s lawyer, Manuel Ventura, as the Department of Justice (DOJ) conducted the preliminary investigation into the disappearance of several cockfighting enthusiasts on Thursday.

Ventura noted that the DOJ has scheduled two more hearings on 29 September and 13 October. He said their side has already submitted documents during the case build-up phase, while some respondents sought extensions to file counter-affidavits. Actress Gretchen Barretto was the only respondent to submit her counter-affidavit during Thursday’s proceedings.

Responding to defense lawyer Gabriel Villareal’s claim that only individuals with pending cases before Manila RTC Judge Pilarta could have attempted to bribe her, Ventura dismissed the allegation as “impossible,” insisting his client was not behind any such attempt.

“It is very impossible that my client was the one who tried to bribe because we all know she is not the mastermind in this case,” Ventura said, stressing that even lawyers associated with businessman Charlie “Atong” Ang have distanced themselves from the whistleblower.

He also brushed aside claims that Patidongan lacks credibility, saying it is the DOJ—not the respondents—who will decide on the reliability of witnesses.

“Of course, the first move of the defense is to attack the credibility of my clients, which I have long foreseen,” he said. “We are ready for it. We are battle-ready for this one.”

Ventura added that the families of the missing cockfighting enthusiasts were present during the hearing, a development that gave him confidence that the case is finally progressing.

When pressed about Villareal’s assertion that no credible evidence links Ang to the case, Ventura countered that the complaint affidavit prepared by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) explicitly named Ang as one of the respondents.