PNP to check for Atong Ang sightings abroad

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January 21, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Not discounting the possibility that Charlie “Atong” Ang may have left the country, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla has ordered the Philippine National Police (PNP) to coordinate with counterparts abroad in searching for the fugitive gambling tycoon.

At a news briefing in Camp Crame yesterday, Remulla said acting PNP chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. will coordinate with the International Criminal Police Organization or Interpol to check for sightings of Ang in other countries in Southeast Asia.

Whistleblower Julie Patidongan earlier said his former boss may have left the country as early as December last year to avoid arrest over his connection to the kidnapping and disappearance of cockfight enthusiasts or sabungeros.

While there are no indications Ang has fled the country, Remulla said the possibility is always there.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said Ang may still be in the Philippines, citing the absence of records showing he left through formal channels.

Immigration data do not indicate that Ang traveled outside the Philippines, acting NBI director Angelito Magno said, even as authorities continue to consider the possibility of informal exit routes.

Fugitive tracking is complicated by the country’s long coastline and numerous informal exit points, but many of these routes are dangerous and unlikely to be used by someone of Ang’s profile, Magno noted.

Police have raided three properties in Pasig, Mandaluyong and Batangas where Ang was allegedly sighted, based on tips from informants.

However, the operations yielded negative results.

“We are monitoring four other locations that we will visit in the next days,” Remulla said.

Agents of the NBI yesterday searched a beachfront property in San Antonio, Zambales, but found no traces of Ang.

Authorities inspected the property in Barangay Pundaquit, armed with an arrest warrant issued by the Sta. Cruz, Laguna Regional Trial Court Branch 26.

The NBI also tried to look for Ang in a supposed rest house at a cockfighting arena in Libon, Albay.

For its part, the police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) said authorities are facing difficulties in tracking Ang due to his resources, network and properties across the country.

“It appears he prepared for this ahead of time, knowing warrants would be issued,” CIDG chief Col. John Guiagui said yesterday. — Mark Ernest Villeza