A Laguna court has issued an arrest warrant against businessman Charlie “Atong” Ang and 18-24 others in connection with a kidnapping with homicide case linked to the disappearance of 34 sabungeros in 2021-2022. The charges are non-bailable, according to the court. This follows prima facie evidence from the Department of Justice in December.
On January 13, 2026, the Santa Cruz, Laguna Regional Trial Court Branch 26 issued an arrest warrant against Charlie “Atong” Tiu Hay Ang, owner of Lucky 8 Star Quest Inc., and 18-24 other individuals in connection with the missing sabungeros case. The accusations involve 10 counts of kidnapping with homicide and one count of kidnapping with serious illegal detention, with no option for bail.
The Department of Justice found prima facie evidence against Ang and the co-accused, leading to the filing of 26 criminal informations in courts in Lipa City, Batangas, and Santa Cruz and San Pablo, Laguna. The complaints were filed by relatives on August 1, 2025, relating to the disappearance of 34 sabungeros from April 2021 to January 2022.
Ang was first implicated in 2022 due to his ownership of cockfighting arenas where some victims were last seen. In 2025, his former employee Julie “Dondon” Patidongan testified that Ang was the mastermind, claiming the number of missing could exceed 100, though official figures stand at 34.
Among those also ordered arrested are police officers such as Police Lt. Col. Ryan Jay Orapa, PSMS Joey Natanauan Encarnacion, and others. There are no major contradictions in key details, though reports vary slightly on the number of accused.
