Atong Ang’s lawyer sued over cash aid to 'missing sabungeros' families

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May 29, 2026 | 5:07pm

MANILA, Philippines — Families of "missing sabungeros" filed an obstruction of justice complaint on Friday, May 29, against one of Atong Ang's lawyers for allegedly giving cash assistance to families while the case is ongoing against the fugitive businessman.

The remaining five complainants accused Caroline Cruz, one of Ang's lawyers, of giving other families a P40,000 monthly allowance in exchange for their noncooperation and nonattendance at court hearings.

One complainant alleged 20 families have already accepted the alleged payments, which they said could weaken the case.

Olyn Lasco, one of the complainants against Cruz and the sister of missing sabungero Jon Lasco, expressed frustration toward the families who allegedly accepted the cash assistance.

"Hustisya? Nabigyan lang kayo ng kaunting pera, pinagpalit n'yo na 'yung mga kamag-anak n'yo," Lasco said. (Justice? You were given only a little money, and you already traded your relatives for it.)

"Multuhin sana sila ng mga kaanak nila na ipinagpalit nila sa pera," she added. (May they be haunted by the relatives they traded for money.)

Alleged monthly payments

Lasco claimed the families who received cash had no assurance on how long the payouts would continue, saying it would allegedly be provided only until their case weakens.

The complainants first raised the alleged payments from Ang's camp during a press conference at the National Police Commission last week, when they also filed a complaint against two police officers.

The police officers were accused of facilitating a secret meeting between the families of missing sabungeros and detained police officers implicated in the case.

Cruz has yet to respond to the complaint, but she previously told GMA News that her "conscience is clear" over the allegations.

Bones recovered from Taal Lake

As of Thursday, May 28, the Philippine National Police had recovered more than 2,000 human bones from Taal Lake in Batangas, where the bodies of the missing sabungeros were allegedly dumped.

Authorities are conducting tests to determine if the DNA from the bones matches any of the missing sabungeros.

Ang, who has been accused of masterminding the case, is currently in hiding from authorities.