Atong Ang's lawyer slams 'premature' arrest order

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January 15, 2026 | 8:59am

MANILA, Philippines — The lawyer Atong Ang denounced the order of the Laguna court that issued a warrant of arrest against the business tycoon, claiming that it violated his right to due process.

In a statement on Wednesday, January 14, Gabriel Villareal, Ang's lawyer, said the court's order was "premature," saying that "it failed to meet the constitutional standards that should have been observed under the circumstances."

"Clearly, the court merely acted on the incomplete and one-sided information provided by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in its determination of probable cause, without having even seen the counter-affidavits and exculpatory evidence of the respondents, including that of Mr. Ang," Villareal said.

Villareal further pointed out that no physical evidence has been presented to link his client to the disappearances, asserting that the case relies solely on a narrative built in haste.

He claimed that the intent to use Ang as a "diversion" from the true perpetrators has become increasingly apparent throughout the proceedings.

"It is unfortunate that the DOJ has allowed itself to become a witting instrument of Patidongan's manipulations aimed at absolving himself of legal culpability at the expense of Mr. Ang," Villareal said.

He said they will exhaust all available legal remedies to allow Ang to challenge the arrest order.

On Tuesday, January 13, the Sta. Cruz, Laguna Regional Trial Court Branch 26 ordered the arrest of Ang and others over kidnapping with homicide, kidnapping and serious illegal detention.

For kidnapping with homicide, there are 17 co-accused, while in the case of kidnapping and serious illegal detention, there are five co-accused.

The case involves sabungeros who have been missing since 2021.