MANILA, Philippines — Authorities nearly captured fugitive businessman Charlie “Atong” Ang at an undisclosed location in the Philippines, but arresting officers—including Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla—arrived too late, the DILG chief said Friday.
In a television interview, Remulla said the Philippine National Police (PNP) conducted an early morning operation following an eyewitness report confirming a sighting of the elusive businessman in the country.
“We almost caught Atong, we had an operation earlier this morning because we received an eyeball report that he was seen but we were too late, but we had an eyeball report that he was seen here in the country,” Remulla said.
“In fact I was part of the operations earlier, we started at 5 in the morning, we did not catch him but he was there. Our efforts still continue,” Remulla said.
Earlier reports indicated that Ang had been hiding in Cambodia and was more recently sighted in Vietnam, but this latest development appears to contradict claims that he had already fled the country.
“So much information is coming out, but what we believe is the eyeball report that he was seen, they swore by it so we went there right away,” Remulla said.
However, Remulla emphasized that operations like this are carefully planned, especially when the target is someone like Ang, noting that “many could be hurt.”
“I’d rather come in prepared, come in ready so we can do our mission,” Remulla said.
Given the gravity of the murder cases charged against him and the amount of money he has, Remulla said they assume that Ang is surrounded by armed henchmen which makes him “capable” of fighting back.
Ang is facing multiple charges of kidnapping and murder cases over the disappearances and alleged killings of multiple cockfight enthusiasts tagged as “missing sabungeros.”
