A separate group of relatives of the missing sabungeros claimed on Monday that another faction of victims’ families was allegedly seeking a P1-billion settlement in exchange for dropping cases against businessman Charlie 'Atong' Ang.
During a hastily called press conference in Calumpit, Bulacan, members of the group denied involvement in any out-of-court settlement and pointed to certain relatives identified as Dianne Loyola and Jaja Peralta as those allegedly brokering the supposed negotiations.
“Hindi nga po nila kami sinasama sa usapan. Pagkatapos kami pa ang pinagbibintangan na tumanggap ng milyones. Hindi po ito totoo,” said Ryan Bautista, who identified himself as one of the complainants in the case.
As of this writing, neither Loyola nor Ang’s camp has confirmed that such negotiations took place.
Bautista alleged that Loyola and Peralta had accused their group of seeking financial settlements from Ang’s camp, but he insisted it was the two women who admitted to him that they were allegedly pursuing a P1-billion arrangement in exchange for the dismissal of the cases.
He also denied claims that his group was no longer interested in pursuing the complaints because they had supposedly already been paid.
“Pagkatapos nila kaming tanggalin lahat sa group chat, ngayon babaliktarin naman nila kami,” Bautista said.
Last week, Loyola and other members of her group, including a certain Cha Lasco, went to the National Police Commission to report an alleged bribery attempt involving lawyer Caroline Cruz, one of Ang’s legal counsels who is facing prosecution in connection with the case.
Cruz previously admitted meeting Loyola’s group after they allegedly paid her an unscheduled visit. She also confirmed giving members of the group P20,000 each, disputing claims that they received P40,000.
Another relative, Eloisa Bohol, also denied allegations made by Loyola and Lasco’s group that they had been receiving monthly financial support worth P40,000 from Ang’s camp.
“Hindi po kami umaatras sa kaso. Sa tingin po ba ninyo sapat yung halaga na sinasabi nila kapalit ng hustisya na hinahabol namin?” Bohol told reporters.
Bohol admitted, however, to personally receiving P20,000 from Cruz, which she described as “financial help.”
She said she accepted the assistance after Cruz allegedly told her that she was also seeking the truth behind the case.
Meanwhile, another complainant, Aurelio Panaligan, called for a reinvestigation by the Department of Justice, saying the probe should also include other personalities such as Julie “Dondon” Patidongan and his brothers Elakim and Jose.
“Hindi po kami nagpapa-areglo. Lahat po kami, hustisya ang hanap namin,” Panaligan said.
Members of the group also expressed frustration over the current direction of the case, saying they believe other personalities besides Ang should also face charges.
They further alleged that there were efforts by some groups to shield other individuals, including the Patidongans, from possible prosecution.