DILG: Red notices issued vs Bantag, Dumlao

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May 12, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — After gaming tycoon Charlie “Atong” Ang, Interpol has also issued red notices against former Bureau of Corrections chief Gerald Bantag and former police officer Rafael Dumlao III, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla revealed yesterday.

“For the information of the body, there is already a red notice against Bantag, a red notice against Atong Ang and a red notice against Dumlao,” he said.

Remulla added that the request for a red notice against former party-list congressman Zaldy Co was filed in September 2025.

“As for Zaldy Co… his red notice has not yet been granted. So all requirements have already been complied with,” he added.

According to Interpol, a red notice is a request to law enforcement authorities worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender or similar legal action.

Despite these developments, Remulla admitted frustration over the Philippine National Police’s failure to immediately arrest the fugitives, saying he had already reprimanded police officials during a recent command conference over the prolonged manhunt.

The DILG chief admitted raising his voice during the meeting, departing from the formal tone usually observed in command conferences.

“I told them, what is this? There are 200,000 of you and you cannot find three people? So I challenged them to harness that manpower to find these individuals,” he said.

“I told them to do better because we have been discussing this for a very long time already,” he added.

Last month, an Interpol red notice had been issued against Ang, who is facing kidnapping with serious illegal detention charges in connection with the disappearance of several sabungeros or cockfight enthusiasts.

Remulla revealed that authorities had nearly captured the tycoon in a previous operation and noted that police have since intensified efforts to locate the fugitive.

Asked whether he had imposed a deadline on the PNP, Remulla said there was no need for one.

“There is no need for a deadline. They will do their best. A deadline only leads to consequences, but they will do everything they can,” he said.

The DILG chief also stressed that authorities are continuing internal reforms within the police organization and pursuing erring officers implicated in major crimes.

“I have already sent many of them to jail. Those rotten eggs involved in major cases, EJKs and others, we are prosecuting or dismissing them from the service,” Remulla said.

While acknowledging operational challenges, Remulla maintained that law enforcement agencies remain committed to tracking down the fugitives.

“Do not doubt our determination because of the delay in the pursuit. We are determined to do this,” he added.

In April 2023, a Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court ordered the arrest of Bantag in connection with the death of Jun Villamor, the alleged middleman in the killing of broadcaster Percy Lapid in October 2022.

Meanwhile, in July 2024, the Court of Appeals reversed Dumlao’s acquittal in the 2016 kidnapping and killing of South Korean businessman Jee Ick Joo and sentenced him to life imprisonment. Authorities offered a P1-million bounty for his arrest.