BUSINESSMAN Charlie “Atong” Ang will appear before the panel of prosecutors handling the charges filed against him in connection with the missing sabungeros this November to subscribe to his counter-affidavit, his lawyer said yesterday.
Atty. Gabriel Villareal said the panel, in yesterday’s resumption of the preliminary hearing, has required Ang and the other respondents to submit their counter-affidavit on November 3, instead of the previous schedule of October 13.
Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Charlie Guhit said the schedule was moved to November since the PNP-CIDG submitted additional documents to the panel last Monday.
“It was moved from October 13 to November 3 in view of the submission of additional documents from the complainants,” Guhit told reporters, adding the PNP-CIDG also submitted five USBs to the panel as part of the additional evidence against the respondents.
Villareal said the panel’s move will give Ang and the other respondents more time to respond to the additional evidence submitted by the PNP-CIDG.
“Sa Nov. 3 ay malamang nandito si Mr. Ang kasi ‘yun ang nire’require ng ating panel of prosecutors (Mr. Ang will probably be here on November 3 since his presence is required by the panel of prosecutors),” Villareal told reporters.
“Ang maaaring mangyari din sa Nov. 3 ay pag-file ng counter affidavit ng mga respondent, meron ding option ‘yung mga complainants mag-file ng reply affidavit bago eventually magkaroon ng motion for resolution ‘yung mga kaso (What will happen on November 3 is the respondents will file their counter-affidavits, though the complainants also have the option to file their reply affidavit before the case is submitted for resolution),” he said.
Guhit said Ang and the other respondents must appear during the next hearing.
“I cannot say whether they will attend the next scheduled hearing but the panel required that all respondents must subscribe to their counter affidavit before the panel of prosecutors pursuant to the rules of preliminary investigation,” he explained.
“If they do not appear and submit their counter-affidavits, then this will be submitted for resolution without their counter-affidavits,” he added.
Ang, actress Gretchen Barreto, former Metro Manila police commander Gen. Jonnel Estomo and the other respondents are facing charges for multiple murders and serious physical detention, direct bribery and obstruction of justice.
Suspect-turned-whistleblower Julie Patidongan, alias Totoy, tagged Ang as the alleged mastermind in the abduction and killing of the sabungeros missing since 2021.
He also linked Barreto, Estomo and the other respondents to the case.
Patidongan also made the harrowing claim that the bodies of the missing sabungeros were dumped at Taal Lake, prompting an extensive search.
Ang denied the allegations and filed a damage suit against Patidongan before the Mandaluyong prosecutors’ office.
The DOJ has already placed Ang and the other respondents under an immigration lookout bulletin order.
In a related development, Guhit said a respondent in a separate Manila court case on the missing sabungeros submitted an affidavit last Monday in support of the charges against Ang.
“With respect to the submission of the other affidavits, there were witnesses. Particularly, I remember Gleer Codilla,” Guhit said, adding that the affidavit he submitted is in “support of the complaint.”
He said Codilla can act as a “witness and respondent” at the same time.
Codilla was one of the six charged by the DOJ before the Manila Regional Trial Court for kidnapping and serious illegal detention charges in connection with the abduction and disappearance of sabungeros John Claude Inonog, Rondel Cristorum, Mark Joseph Velasco, Rowel Gomez, and brothers James Baccay and Marlon Baccay.
Codilla’s co-respondents are Patidongan, Mark Carlo Zabala, Virgilio Bayog, Johnny Consolacion, and Roberto Matillano Jr.
They are all security officers at the Manila Arena where the six went missing.
