DOJ chief: SC probing judges linked to missing ‘sabungeros’
The Supreme Court has opened an investigation following claims by a whistleblower that judges were being “fixed” to clear gaming tycoon Charlie “Atong” Ang of alleged involvement in the case of 34 missing “sabungeros” (cockfighting aficionados).
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said on Monday that the high tribunal had begun looking into “any kind of behavior that we notice to be detrimental to the justice system.”
“It varies,” Remulla told reporters when asked if the high court was zeroing in on a particular judge.
“What matters is that they’re (the Supreme Court) doing their job … They’re not onion-skinned. They’re very sensitive to what needs to be done to improve our justice system,” he added in an ambush interview.
Whistleblower Julie “Dondon” Patidongan told ABS-CBN on July 3 that a former judge was “handling” judges and prosecutors to allegedly settle Ang’s cases in court.
It was not immediately clear if the former judge that Patidongan was referring to was the same individual being investigated by the high tribunal.
Ang is not facing any complaint in court over the case.
Patidongan, alias “Totoy,” blew the lid off the gripping tale of 34 cockfighting aficionados who were abducted and strangled to death before their bodies were dumped in Taal Lake in Batangas province.
He had tagged Ang as the mastermind behind their disappearance, an allegation that the gaming tycoon had denied.
“We had initial contact this morning,’’ Remulla said, referring to his conversation with Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo about the matter on Monday morning.
On June 26, Remulla said he intended to speak with Gesmundo after an accused claimed that the judiciary had been allegedly penetrated by perpetrators of the crime.
“What the mastermind is saying—I heard it myself, in his own words—is that he can pull it off, even [at] the Supreme Court,’’ he said then.
Remulla said the Department of Justice (DOJ) was expecting more witnesses to come forward, particularly those who are not charged in court.
“There are others, and some people are still coming forward. It looks like we’ll get new witnesses within the week,” he said.
Meanwhile, Remulla said Patidongan’s application to become a state witness under the DOJ’s witness protection program was still being deliberated upon.
“We were discussing (his processing as state witness) this morning with the Prosecutor General but we haven’t concluded anything yet,” he said.
Patidongan is among the six security personnel of the Manila Arena cockpit who were charged with kidnapping and serious illegal detention in connection with the case.
He has been out on bail but the Court of Appeals overturned a Manila court’s ruling that granted his petition for bail despite strong evidence of guilt.
Denial
As he denied any role in the case, Ang filed a criminal complaint against Patidongan for alleged grave threats, grave coercion, slander, conspiracy to commit attempted robbery and incriminating innocent persons.
Apart from Ang, Patidongan had also accused actress Gretchen Barretto and three other individuals of having a hand in the case. Barretto had denied the allegation.
Philippine National Police chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III said Patidongan began communicating with the police when he still headed the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) from Sept. 25, 2024, to June 1, 2025.
The aficionados disappeared in 2022.
“Well, Totoy has been giving us statements for a long time. We actually took his statement months before, but of course, we had to put it under wraps to ensure that our moves wouldn’t be preempted. We got voluminous evidence because we got that information a little under the radar,” he told reporters in a Camp Crame briefing.
“Well I was very shocked when I learned that Totoy knew. That’s why it firmed our resolve to solve this because what happened in this case is really gruesome and not acceptable by any standards,” he added.
More locations
The national police is monitoring “more personalities,” apart from 15 active and former PNP members, for possible involvement in the disappearance of the sabungeros, Torre said.
“We already have information on their whereabouts and we are watching them. So if it is necessary to put them under surveillance pending the issuance of a warrant of arrest, we will do it so that when the warrant of arrest arrives, we can just arrest them,’’ he said.
The 15 were restricted to the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame. They included 11 active members, a retiree and three dismissed members. The highest ranked among them was a lieutenant colonel, according to Torre.
“We are also planning to look for the bodies not just in Taal Lake. Based on our information, the lake is not the only location of disposal. We are also examining other areas,’’ Torre added.
He declined to elaborate so as not to preempt the perpetrators from retrieving the bodies. He said the information came from other witnesses.
