Atong Ang, PNP major linked to Chinese triad in Negros
Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla confirmed on Sunday that the Philippine National Police is looking into claims linking fugitive businessman Charlie “Atong” Ang and a police major in Bacolod City to a Chinese triad operating in Negros Island.
“It’s a great possibility because [Atong Ang] used to frequent that place,” Remulla told the Inquirer when asked about the remark of Talisay City Mayor Rowena Lizares linking Ang to the 10 Chinese men who were arrested for operating an illegal cigarette factory on the island.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) chief identified the PNP officer as Maj. Edgar Tonico Jr., commander of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in Bacolod City.
Tonico was commended by CIDG director Maj. Gen. Robert Morico II for leading two successful operations against two suspected gunrunners in separate operations in Kabankalan City last October and November.
Morico has led the CIDG’s search for Ang since the disappearance of more than 100 “sabungeros” (cockfight aficionados) in different areas in Luzon Island in 2021 and 2022.
Remulla and PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. visited Negros Island on April 24 after the CIDG busted a large-scale illegal cigarette production and distribution network in Negros Occidental, valued at P799,151,453.54.
He named the 10 arrested Chinese nationals as Fugong Jiang, Wu JianQun, Xu Ke, Li Hong, Ye Jun, A Yac, Tan Jing, Wu Shaobin, Eron Chen and Pan Zongxing.
The DILG chief said the police major accused of protecting the Chinese syndicate was already under preventive custody, but declined to identify him because of the ongoing debriefing process.
He said lawmen raided the illegal cigarette factory in Barangay Calumangan in Bago City on April 21, where the 10 Chinese nationals were also arrested. A warehouse was also raided at the boundary of Barangay Alijis and Singcang-Airport in Bacolod City on April 22.
Apart from the large-scale manufacture of illegal cigarettes, the syndicate also allegedly had “e-sabong” operations in Talisay City that were allegedly funded by Ang. The operation was busted on April 23, Remulla said.
Nartatez, on the other hand, said the PNP has intensified intelligence operations against illegal cigarette manufacturing.
“The goal is always to dismantle the very heart of these illicit operations,” said Nartatez in a statement on Sunday.
“By tracking down hidden manufacturing hubs and the syndicates behind them, we are sending a strong message that we will use the full force of the law to ensure the protection of our economy and the welfare of our people,” he said.
Police units have been instructed to widen intelligence monitoring operations and enhance coordination with local government units to locate hidden production facilities and identify those behind them.
Based on data from the DILG, the authorities seized nearly P4 billion worth of illegal cigarettes nationwide from December 2025 to April 2026, with major operations in the Negros Island Region, Bulacan, Pampanga, Metro Manila and Cebu.
Nartatez also stressed the importance of public cooperation in identifying illegal facilities that are often concealed in remote or industrial areas.
