MANILA, Philippines — The whereabouts of gambling businessman Charlie “Atong” Ang remain a major question after the Department of Justice (DOJ) said he is still believed to be in the Philippines, contradicting Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla’s claim that the fugitive has already escaped the country.
Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida said on Wednesday, October 21, that the DOJ’s assessment was based on information verified with the Bureau of Immigration (BI). According to Vida, available immigration records do not show that Ang officially departed the Philippines.
“Per our records or available records which we can verify and validate, he’s still in the country,” Vida said, as reported by ABS-CBN News and Abante.
The statement comes a day after Remulla publicly claimed that Ang had left the country through what he described as a “backdoor” route. The conflicting accounts have raised questions about whether authorities can establish Ang’s actual location and determine how he might have evaded the ongoing manhunt.
DOJ Relies on Immigration Records
Vida explained that the government could not confirm Ang had left the Philippines because immigration records available to authorities did not indicate an official departure.
However, the absence of an official departure record does not, by itself, establish Ang’s exact location. If he did leave through an unauthorized route, as Remulla alleged, his departure might not appear in regular immigration records.
Vida acknowledged the challenges of monitoring the country’s borders, including the possibility that people could leave through routes outside regular immigration checkpoints.
For now, the DOJ’s position differs from Remulla’s public account, leaving authorities with the task of verifying the businessman’s whereabouts.
Remulla Claims Ang Left Through a “Backdoor”
On Tuesday, October 20, Remulla said Ang had already left the Philippines and was reportedly in the Cambodia area.
According to GMA News and The Philippine Star, Remulla described Ang’s departure as having taken place through a “backdoor” route. He also expressed confidence that the businessman was in the area when asked about reports of his possible presence in Cambodia.
Authorities have not publicly established the precise route Ang allegedly used, the date of his reported departure, or his confirmed current location.
The conflicting statements underscore the difficulty of confirming the whereabouts of a wanted person when information from different government agencies does not point to the same conclusion.
Ang Wanted Over Missing Sabungeros Case
Ang is facing criminal charges linked to the disappearance of cockfighting enthusiasts, commonly known as sabungeros. The cases involve allegations of kidnapping with homicide and kidnapping with serious illegal detention.
According to GMA News, the charges have been filed before courts in Laguna and Batangas. Ang has been the subject of a nationwide manhunt, and authorities have been seeking his arrest.
The DOJ previously described Ang as a fugitive from justice after arrest warrants were issued in connection with the cases. In January 2026, the Philippine News Agency reported that he was the only accused still at large among 18 individuals implicated in the case at that time.
The allegations against Ang remain subject to judicial proceedings; they should not be treated as proof of guilt.
What Happens Next?
The immediate challenge for authorities is to establish where Ang is and reconcile the competing accounts from the DOJ and the Department of the Interior and Local Government.
If the claim that Ang left through an unauthorized route is substantiated, investigators may need to determine how he crossed the border and whether anyone assisted him. These questions remain unresolved based on the publicly available reports.
For the families of the missing sabungeros, confirming Ang’s whereabouts is a critical step in efforts to bring the cases forward.
As of October 21, the DOJ maintains that available, verified immigration records do not show Ang leaving the Philippines, while Remulla has publicly claimed that he escaped abroad.
The key question remains: Can authorities verify Ang’s actual location and explain the conflicting accounts before the manhunt loses further ground?
