Missing sabungeros case: CIDG hid affidavits vs Patidongan?

MANILA, Philippines — Evidence implicating whistle-blower Julie Patidongan and his brothers as perpetrators in the case of missing cockfight enthusiasts has been allegedly suppressed by the police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG).

Bernardo Vitriolo, lawyer for Senior M/Sgt. Joey Encarnacion, challenged the CIDG to release the “missing affidavits” of 12 witnesses who were former employees of Patidongan.

Encarnacion was among 12 police officers involved in the kidnapping and disappearance of sabungeros, Patidongan alleged.

At a press conference in Quezon City, Vitriolo accused the CIDG of excluding affidavits in the case folder it submitted to the Department of Justice (DOJ) to protect Patidongan and his brothers from prosecution.

Citing information he received, Vitriolo claimed witnesses have pointed to Patidongan and his brothers as the masterminds behind the sabungeros’ disappearance.

On Aug. 3, Vitriolo wrote a letter to CIDG director Brig. Gen. Christopher Abrahano, urging him to submit the affidavits to the DOJ.

“We believe that the inclusion of these affidavits could substantially alter the outcome of the investigation as well as the possibility that my client would be considered a respondent,” Vitriolo said.

Abrahano denied Vitriolo’s claims.

The affidavits, Abrahano said, were received by the CIDG in July, but these were not submitted since police probers did not assist the witnesses.

“We acknowledged receipt of the documents so there are no missing affidavits,” Abrahano clarified. “That’s what the investigators evaluated, but they were not the ones who collected the evidence.”

The CIDG would have become a laughingstock if they submitted the affidavits to the DOJ, he said.

Witnesses of the respondents are not precluded from submitting their affidavits to the DOJ, Abrahano pointed out.

Meanwhile, Vitriolo has denied allegations that his client owns a fishery in Batangas where the sabungeros were allegedly buried after being killed for cheating in cockfights.

Encarnacion secured certificates from the local governments of Laurel and Talisay in Batangas as well as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, attesting that he does not own a fish pond in the two towns, Vitriolo said.

He maintained that Encarnacion does not know gaming tycoon Charlie “Atong” Ang, whom Patidongan tagged as the alleged mastermind in the sabungeros’ case.

Vitriolo admitted that his client and other police officers formerly assigned to the Highway Patrol Group had provided security assistance during the pandemic to Lucky 88, a company engaged in cockfighting.

The firm related to Ang is Lucky 8 Star Quest Inc.