Sanctions eyed vs Atong lawyer

MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Ombudsman and the Department of Justice (DOJ) slammed lawyer Gabriel Villareal for advising his client Charlie “Atong” Ang not to surrender, with Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla seeking sanctions before the Supreme Court.

“We will handle that. We will file a manifestation with the Supreme Court…against the lawyer, Gabby Villareal,” Remulla said on radio program “Executive Session” on dzRH yesterday.

Remulla did not elaborate on Villareal’s possible liability, but agreed with his co-hosts that a lawyer should always advocate adherence to the rule of law.

In an interview with radio dzMM on Friday, Villareal said he advised Ang not to surrender to authorities until all available legal remedies are exhausted.

Ang has standing warrants of arrest for several counts of kidnapping with homicide and kidnapping and serious illegal detention charges over the disappearance of cockfight enthusiasts or sabungeros.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government had earlier tagged Ang as “armed and dangerous” and “most wanted.”

The DOJ, in a separate statement, described Villareal’s remarks as unethical.

“A warrant of arrest lawfully issued by a competent court should be strictly adhered to. The suggestion that one resist and disobey the lawful orders of a court is not only ill-advised but unethical and potentially criminal. And it opens up his client to further criminal liability,” DOJ spokesman Raphael Niccolo Martinez said.

The DILG has offered a P10-million reward to anyone who can offer information on Ang’s location.

Intensified efforts

Meanwhile, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) director Angelito Magno has directed an “intensified information campaign” to all regional directors and chiefs of specialized and intelligence divisions to locate Ang.

NBI spokesman Palmer Mallari said the NBI is plotting its next moves carefully, given that some police officers may be harboring the wanted fugitive.

“We are telling them that the information should be shared with the people within the NBI who are only involved in the search for Ang, and that they should be careful in giving any small updates that could be a reason to give him two steps ahead,” Mallari told radio dzBB.

While authorities are setting their sights on Luzon, Mallari said they are not discounting the possibility that he is crisscrossing between the Visayas and Mindanao.

“There is a possibility that he’s still here in the Philippines,” the NBI spokesman asserted. “Strong possibility.”

Monitoring of the NBI-Organized and Transnational Crime Division (OTCD) and Bureau of Immigration before the issuance of the arrest warrants does not indicate that Ang was restless.

“We saw where he recently went out and immediately returned. After that, he went to nearby provinces,” Mallari said.

“Now, with a warrant of arrest, we can just imagine the security blanket that is employed in order to protect him,” Mallari said.

Authorities have searched for Ang at his known properties and residences in Pasig, Mandaluyong, Laguna and Batangas, but he was nowhere to be found.

Mallari said the NBI is coordinating with other law enforcement agencies to ensure that Ang, or any other fugitive, won’t be able to use backdoor channels to escape.

The NBI-OTCD urged anyone with information on Ang’s whereabouts to contact their dedicated number +639456554900. — EJ Macababbad, Emmanuel Tupas