BUSINESSMAN and gaming tycoon Charlie “Atong” Ang filed Thursday, July 3, 2025, complaints against two of his former trusted employees, including Julie “Dondon” Patidongan, who named him as the mastermind in the disappearance of over 100 cockfighting enthusiasts, locally known as sabungeros.
Ang, along with his legal counsel, Lawyer Lorna Kapunan, filed complaints for grave threats, grave coercion, slander, conspiracy to commit attempted robbery with violence against or intimidation of a person under Article 294 of the Revised Penal Code (RPC), and for incriminating innocent persons under Article 363 of the RPC, against Patidongan and Alan Bantiles, alias "Brown," before the Mandaluyong City Prosecutor's Office.
In his complaint affidavit, Ang said Patidongan was the farm manager of the Pitmaster Group, whom he had entrusted not only with the general maintenance and daily operations of his farms but also with supervisory authority over security personnel, manpower deployment, and the provision of essential farm requirements.
He said Patidongan’s responsibilities extended to all locations where cockfighting events were regularly conducted, specifically in Lipa, Batangas, Sta. Cruz, Laguna, and Sta. Ana, Manila.
On Wednesday, July 2, Patidongan, in an exclusive interview with GMA News, tagged Ang as the brains behind the abduction and killing of over 100 sabungeros who were accused of cheating.
He also named actress Gretchen Barretto, Eric dela Rosa, and Engineer Celso Salazar as being involved in the case of the missing sabungeros.
Patidongan said he was offered P300 million by Ang’s camp for the recantation of his statements.
In a press conference after filing the complaints, Ang said the root of all the accusations hurled against him was money.
“Well, ang puno’t dulo talaga nito, pera,” Ang said.
Pitmaster Group, which is owned by Ang, was involved in online cockfighting activities before the National Government declared a stop to all e-sabong activities in 2022, which came following the conduct of a Senate investigation into the disappearance of 34 sabungeros.
Patidongan was among the six security personnel of the Pitmaster Group accused of abducting e-sabong master agent Ricardo Lasco in San Pablo, Laguna, in August 2021. Lasco remains missing as of July 2025.
They were granted temporary liberty in December 2023 after posting bail of P3 million each.
The Court of Appeals Third Division, however, canceled the bail of the said accused in January 2025.
Ang said that after being released on bail, Patidongan went back to his hometown in Barobo, Surigao del Sur.
Election-driven?
In the May 2025 local elections, Patidongan ran for municipal mayor of Barobo.
Ang said Patidongan had repeatedly contacted him and requested financial assistance for his political campaign.
He said he acceded to his requests and gave him a total of P12 million from February 21 to April 28, 2025.
Prior to this, on February 8, 2025, Ang said Bantiles called him and suggested that he give Patidongan P300 million as "separation pay" in exchange for his past services at the farm, additional funding for his ongoing legal battles, and seed money to support his political campaign.
Ang said Bantiles hinted that Patidongan might be compelled to implicate him in the ongoing case related to the missing sabungeros if he does not give in to his demands.
He said Bantiles called him several more times in February, urging him to pay Patidongan the amount of P300 million, an offer he repeatedly rejected, saying he had no involvement in the case of the missing sabungeros.
Ang said that on June 22, 2025, Patidongan called him through Bantiles asking him for the said amount of money in exchange for his silence.
“I think last week ito sinabi niya sa akin. Tumawag si Brown, pagtawag ni Brown, sinabi niya, 'Boss, gusto kayo makausap ni Dondon kasi aalis na raw. Mag-usap na lang kayo kasi aalis na kasi inaayos na lang ‘yung visa nung anak niya.' Tapos, ang sabi niya (Dondon) sa akin, ‘Boss magandang hapon po. Sabi niya, gusto ko sana iligtas kayo, pero ‘yung mga kasama niyo dapat isama ko sila.’ Sabi ko, ‘anong kasalanan namin? Bakit mo kami isasama?’ So medyo hindi naging maganda ang usapan,” Ang said.
(I think it was last week when he told me this. Brown called, and when he did, he said, "Boss, Dondon wants to talk to you because he’s leaving soon. Just talk to him because they’re finalizing his child’s visa." Then Dondon said to me, "Good afternoon, Boss. I just want to help you, but I also have to include your companions." I asked, "What did we do wrong? Why would you include us?" So the conversation didn’t go well.)
Ang also revealed Patidongan’s alleged plan to have him abducted, demand money from his family in exchange for his release, and then kill him.
Ang reiterated that he refused to give in to the demand of the accused as he had no involvement in the case of the missing sabungeros.
“Lahat ng ina-accuse niya rito, mga matitino, walang criminal dito. Kaya lahat ng ina-accuse niya, pag-aralan niya rin muna, lahat ng binibintang niya,” Ang said.
(Everyone he’s accusing here are decent people, none of them are criminals. So before he points fingers, he should also take time to examine the people he’s accusing.)
“Mag-isip ka, Don, kung anuman. Huwag ka na magsinungaling. Tinuring kita parang anak ko, e. Hindi ko alam na ganyan, kasama pati ako papatayin mo, pakikidnapin mo pa ako. Ganun lang kasimple. Kailangan ko proteksyunan ang sarili ko saka ang grupo namin na kawawa na masyado,” he added.
(Think carefully, Don, whatever it is. Stop lying. I treated you like my own son. I didn’t know it would come to this, that you would even include me, that you’d have me kidnapped and killed. It’s that simple. I need to protect myself and our group, which has already suffered so much.)
(TPM/SunStar Philippines)