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Atong Ang allegedly threatened to kill the entire family of Julie “Dondon” Patidongan, leaving the latter with little choice but to go against his former principal.
“Una, sabi ko sa kanya (Ang), okay lang patayin mo ‘ko. Pero patayin mo buong pamilya ko, hindi na puwede ‘yan (First, I told him, it’s alright if you kill me. But to kill my entire family? I won’t allow that),” an emotional Patidongan, who stood up from his seat during a press conference on July 14, said.
Prior to his highly publicized appearance in the National Police Commission (Napolcom) on July 14, Patidongan existed only under an alias, “Totoy,” and provided piecemeal revelations about the fate of the missing cockfighting enthusiasts through television interviews. His was face was blurred and voice was disguised to mask his identity.
His allegations followed a pattern. He told them like he was telling a big story, but intentionally left out extremely important details.
Patidongan — who’s also an accused in the ongoing missing sabungeros case — said the number of players could reach up to a hundred, not 34, which was the number initially provided by Philippine authorities. They went missing between 2021 and 2022, according to Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla.
Patidongan later claimed that the sabungeros who were already dead, were killed slowly, and their bodies dumped in Taal Lake. This prompted the Department of Justice (DOJ) to launch a search in the lake, which has so far yielded at least five sacks containing “suspicious objects.” (READ: LIST: Retrieved ‘suspicious objects’ in Taal Lake during search for sabungeros)
After revealing what he knows about the sabungeros‘ fate, Patidongan then dropped his bombshell testimony and claimed that his former boss was allegedly behind the disappearances. Patidongan also tagged actress Gretchen Barretto in the case. Both Ang and Barretto had already denied the allegations.
“Si Mr. Atong Ang… siya ang pinaka-mastermind at siya nag-uutos na talagang iligpit ang mga ‘yan (Mr. Atong Ang is the ultimate mastermind and he gives the orders to get rid of the cheating sabungeros),” Patidongan told GMA News in an interview.
From Surigao to Manila
Born on October 13, 1979, Patidongan is 45 years old, based on Facebook posts of family and friends. He has a wife and two children.
According to Ang’s affidavit, the whistleblower worked as a farm manager under him. They were together for 15 years. Patidongan was the businessman’s trusted man who handled the general maintenance and daily operation of the farm.
He also had authority over the farm’s security personnel and manpower deployment.
According to Ang, Patidongan’s area of responsibility covered cockfighting operations in Lipa, Batangas, Santa Cruz, Laguna, and Santa Ana, Manila. The Manila Arena is located in Santa Ana, where six sabungeros from Rizal went missing in 2022 — a case where Patidongan and five others are accused of kidnapping and illegal detention.
Patidongan worked for Ang’s Lucky 8 Star Quest, the operator of arenas where some of the missing sabungeros were last seen.
He is also linked to a local beach in his hometown Barobo, Surigao del Sur. It has yet to be established that he owns the place, but the resort referred to him as their “boss.”
During the 2025 midterm elections, Patidongan ran for mayor in Barobo. As a candidate of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Partido Federal ng Pilipinas and Hugpong Surigao, he lost to the eventual winner with a less than 500 vote difference.
Accused
Patidongan and his five companions listed below are facing six counts each of kidnapping and serious illegal detention over the disappearance of six sabungeros from Rizal:
- Gleer Codilla
- Mark Carlo Zabala
- Virgilio Bayog
- Johnry Consolacion
- Roberto Matillano Jr.
They were charged in 2022, but are under provisional liberty because although kidnapping is typically non-bailable, the lower court granted their petition for bail.
The families opposed the bail with the Court of Appeals (CA), which later ruled to void the temporary liberty. However, Patidongan and his companions appealed the CA ruling with the Supreme Court, leaving their granted bail still in effect.
During the Senate committee on public order’s hearing on missing sabungeros and e-sabong in 2022, a witness named Denmark Sinfuego testified that Patidongan and his companions were seen in a cockhouse occupied by the missing sabungeros, before the victims were later forced to board a light gray van.
Sinfuego’s testimony was used to charge Patidongan in court.
Another set of witnesses — Alvin and Darwin Indon — appeared in the Senate hearings and said they were victims of alleged abductions by the Lucky 8 Star Quest. Allegedly, Patidongan was among the men who dealt with sabungeros accused of “pangti-tyope” or cheating.
Part of sabong jargon, tyope is a form of cheating where the game’s results are already predetermined or fixed.
“The witnesses (Indon brothers) identified Julie ‘Dondon’ Patidongan as the person who informed them not to join cockfighting anymore and threatened to kill them,” the report read.
The same Senate report said that Patidongan had been accused of frustrated murder in 2019, and of being a suspect in a bank robbery in Manila in 2020. These cases were all dismissed, according to the upper chamber.
After the Senate probe, Patidongan and his companions were charged with the non-bailable cases by the DOJ. As for Ang, the Senate panel recommended to the Philippine National Police and National Bureau of Investigation to continue their probe into the businessman and his Lucky 8 Star Quest.
Ang’s retaliation
Following Patidongan’s revelations, the DOJ is now considering both Ang and Barretto as suspects, according to Remulla.
Ang, on July 3, filed multiple criminal complaints against Patidongan, including slander. He also accused his former trusted man of robbery and allegedly threatening him.
In his affidavit, the businessman said that Patidongan had amassed wealth courtesy of the sabong business: “It was also during this time that he began to amass personal wealth, allegedly through various side-line ventures, including but not limited to the construction contracts for farm facilities — projects which were reportedly awarded to him — and the operation of private betting stations at the Manila Arena, where he maintained independent financial interests separate from his formal duties.”
Patidongan said his money and properties were hard-earned.
“Hindi ako binigyan n’yan para sa mga missing sabungero…. Wala siyang binigay na para pumatay ng tao para bayaran ako (I was not paid by Ang in connection with the missing sabungeros…. He did not pay me anything to kill a person),” the whistleblower said.
When Patidongan faced the non-bailable charges, Atong said he extended legal assistance to him and provided financial aid to Patidongan’s family. Ang said he did this because of Patidongan’s initial denial of the charges, “their long-standing professional relationship,” and his “years of faithful service in the organization.”
Prior to Patidongan’s testimony implicating Ang, their relationship had already turned sour when the former allegedly crafted a plan to go against his former boss in 2023. According to Ang’s affidavit, Patidongan allegedly discussed a plan to kidnap and “murder” him, extort money from Ang’s family, and rob the businessman’s residences.
Alan Bantiles, the other respondent in Ang’s complaint, along with a certain Ryuji Toshioka, were allegedly identified as the “main supporter and facilitator of the plan.” The businessman was told about the plan by his security personnel, Rogelio Borican Jr., who had been invited by Patidongan to a meeting.
During Patidongan’s mayoral campaign, Ang also said that he gave Patidongan P12 million after he requested financial assistance. Bantiles also called Ang on separate occasions, asking for money for P300 million as separation pay for Patidongan, said Ang.
The businessman said Bantiles made a veiled threat and insinuated that Patidongan “might implicate” Ang in the sabungeros case if he did not give in to their demands.
“Dondon and Brown were not strangers to me — they were my employees, individuals I entrusted with responsibilities under the belief that they were loyal and dependable. I gave them opportunities, treated them with fairness, and extended to them a level of trust that, in hindsight, they were never worthy of. It is only now, in the face of these events, that I have come to fully realize what they are capable of,” Ang said.
Credible witness or not?
In a matter of years, Patidongan transformed from being Ang’s trusted man to accused, aspiring politician, and now whistleblower.
PNP chief Police General Nicolas Torre III confirmed on July 17 that it was the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, under his directorship, which took Patidongan’s sworn statement and forwarded it to the DOJ. On July 14, Patidongan also joined the families of missing sabungeros in filing an administrative complaint against 18 police officers and personnel allegedly involved in the case.
FAMILIES. Whistleblower Julie ‘Dondon’ Patidongan, alias ‘Totoy,’ speaks during the press conference of the families of the 34 missing sabungeros at the University of the Philippines Hotel in Diliman, Quezon City, on July 14, 2025.Aside from naming the cops, Patidongan also exposed how they were allegedly involved in the abductions. In his testimony, Patidongan claimed that the police were paid to abduct the sabungeros and bring them to Taal Lake.
When asked why the cops were tapped to deal with the sabungeros, Patidongan responded: “Kasi sila ‘yung tagaligpit sa war on drugs noon (Because they carried out extrajudicial killings in the war on drugs before). That’s it.”
If Ang’s allegation is to be believed, Patidongan’s revelations could be viewed as his way of allegedly blackmailing the businessman. But for the families of missing sabungeros, Patidongan is a credible witness, an accused-whistleblower who is a source of hope.
“Palagay ko, 100% kaming naniniwala eh sa kanya. Kung walang trust, walang mangyayari, parang gano’n… Spontaneously, nagkukuwento siya. Ando’n ‘yong spontaneity… Dere-deretsong nagkukuwento, walang kurap, parang sa tingin namin ay talagang marami siyang alam,” Cha Lasco, sister of abducted e-sabong master agent Ricardo Lasco Jr., told Rappler.
(For me, we believe him 100%. Nothing will happen if there’s no trust. He tells stories with spontaneity. He tells stories continuously, without pauses, that’s why we believe that he knows a lot of things.)
“Kami ay nagpapasalamat sa Diyos at bagamat siya (Patidongan) ay naging part nitong kaguluhang ‘to, pero siya ay para sa amin ay mukha ng pag-asa. At the same time siya ay tamang witness. Siya ang parang perfect witness para sa amin,” she added.
(We are thankful to God because although Patidongan is part of this mess, he serves as the face of hope. At the same time, he is the right witness. He is the perfect witness for us.) – with a report from LA Agustin/Rappler.com
LA Agustin, a Rappler intern, is a journalism student from Bulacan State University. Learn more about Rappler’s internship program here.
