The PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) said it has requested the issuance of an Interpol red notice against businessman Atong Ang following the issuance of arrest warrants against him in connection with the missing sabungeros case.
CIDG chief Police Major General Robert Alexander Morico II said the request was made through Interpol’s National Central Bureau Manila as part of contingency measures, even as authorities believe Ang remains in the country.
The move aims to ensure Ang’s arrest should he manage to leave the Philippines through illegal means, allowing foreign law enforcement agencies and Interpol member countries to locate and provisionally arrest him.
Interpol defines a red notice as a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition or similar legal action. It is not an international arrest warrant, and member countries decide on arrests based on their own laws.
Meanwhile, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said its manhunt operations against Ang are continuing. NBI Director Lito Magno urged Ang to surrender to allow the case to proceed more swiftly and smoothly.
Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla earlier announced a P10-million reward for information leading to Ang’s arrest.
“Ang DILG po ay maglalagay ng P10 milyon patong para sa kanyang aresto. Any information leading to the conclusive arrest of Atong Ang will merit a P10-million reward,” Remulla said, adding that the reward will be given with “no questions asked.”
Remulla described Ang as the country’s number one most wanted individual, citing his alleged involvement in the killing of more than 100 missing sabungeros. Authorities have classified Ang as armed and dangerous.
NBI spokesperson Palmer Mallari said the bounty would significantly help in information gathering, but acknowledged that Ang has substantial resources and manpower at his disposal.
The NBI said it has yet to receive any surrender feelers or confirmed information on Ang’s whereabouts, although immigration records indicate he has not left the country.
Morico said the CIDG has also recommended the revocation of Ang’s firearm licenses, which was approved by Philippine National Police acting chief Police Lieutenant General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. Ang’s lawyers have been informed and ordered to surrender his firearms to the Firearms and Explosives Office. Police records show that six firearms are registered under Ang’s name.
The CIDG is likewise coordinating with the Bureau of Immigration for the implementation of a hold departure order against Ang and is considering recommending his inclusion in the national most wanted list to the Department of the Interior and Local Government.
For its part, the Department of Justice said the government is confident Ang remains in the Philippines.
“The government is confident, based on all available records that we have, Mr. Atong Ang is still in the country,” Acting Justice Secretary Fredderick Visa said.
A Batangas court has issued four warrants of arrest against 18 individuals, including Ang, for multiple counts of kidnapping with homicide and kidnapping and serious illegal detention.
Of the accused, 10 are police personnel are already detained at Camp Crame while seven of the eight civilian suspects are under CIDG custody. Ang remains the only accused still at large.
Morico said authorities served the arrest warrants at four known locations linked to Ang in Metro Manila, Lipa City, and Laguna, but failed to locate him. Operations to find and arrest Ang are ongoing, he added.
