IN a case that has haunted the country’s conscience for over a year, the disappearance of 34 sabungeros has resurfaced — this time with renewed urgency and a new power player at the helm.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has finally drawn a hard line, ordering law enforcement to get to the root of what many now believe is not merely a case of missing persons, but a brutal mass killing.
At the center of the probe is gambling mogul Charlie “Atong” Ang — once seen as untouchable, now the prime figure in one of the Marcos administration’s most high-profile investigations.
What changed? One name – PNP Chief PGen. Nicolas Torre III.
Torre, widely regarded in police circles as incorruptible and unflinching, is no stranger to politically radioactive missions.
He oversaw the controversial arrest of Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, and according to high-level sources, helped enforce international legal protocols that paved the way for former President Duterte’s travel to The Hague.
Now, he’s training the full force of the PNP on Ang. Under his direct orders, the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group led by BGen. Romeo Macapaz, is under strict marching orders – no whitewashing, no interference — just results.
Key to the renewed investigation is whistleblower Julie “Dondon” Patidongan, Ang’s former chief of security for over 15 years.
Patidongan’s testimony is explosive – that the sabungeros are dead, their bodies dumped in Taal Lake, and that Ang allegedly ordered the silencing of witnesses — including a hit on Patidongan’s own family.
Patidongan claimed he only broke his silence after drones began hovering over his home, and threats escalated to what he feared was a kill order. Now under heavy police protection ordered by Torre himself, Patidongan is in secure, undisclosed custody, completely insulated from any contact with Ang’s camp.
Ang denied all allegations and retaliated with extortion claims, accusing Patidongan of demanding ₱300 million. But Torre wasn’t swayed. Those close to the chief say he’s treating the case as a “litmus test” of the PNP’s integrity — one that could define his legacy.
If Torre succeeds where others hesitated, it won’t just be a win for justice — it could mark the unraveling of one of the most protected figures in Philippine underground enterprise.
