PNP vows to protect missing sabungeros’ kin

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) has vowed protection for the families of missing sabungeros or cockfight enthusiasts amid reports that some of the victims’ kin are being paid P40,000 monthly by the camp of fugitive gaming tycoon Charlie “Atong” Ang in exchange for not pursuing the criminal charges filed against him.

“Police assistance does not end with case buildup and filing of charges,” PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said in a statement yesterday. “It expands to ensuring that no mockery of the justice system will happen during the course of the legal process.”

Nartatez gave the assurance after some complainants ran to the National Police Commission on Wednesday to report that Ang’s lawyer, Caroline Cruz, allegedly struck a deal with at least 18 families for financial assistance.

Cruz allegedly offered the sabungeros’ families P20,000 on the 15th and 30th of every month as an “apology” for the “hassles” in pursuing the case.

Cruz told GMA News on Thursday that the families were the ones who paid her an unscheduled visit on April 20 and asked for assistance.

“My conscience is clean,” she said.

Diane Loyola, whose husband disappeared in Sta. Cruz, Laguna in February 2022, said families who accepted payment have stopped attending meetings, which could have repercussions on the case.

Nartatez said PNP probers are also investigating meetings between families and dismissed police officers linked to the disappearance of the cockfight aficionados.

Authorities have been hunting down Ang after three courts in Batangas and Laguna issued warrants for his arrest as the alleged mastermind in the disappearance and murder of the sabungeros.

Nartatez urged families to report incidents of intimidation or coercion by the parties involved.

“Our priority is their safety and the attainment of justice,” he said.