The manhunt for Atong Ang continues.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) intensifies initiatives to track down businessman Atong Ang.
Businessman Atong Ang is facing arrest warrants in connection with the missing sabungeros case. On January 13, a Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Santa Cruz, Laguna, ordered the arrest of Ang and 17 others. He is facing charges of kidnapping with homicide and kidnapping.
In a previous article, Ang was advised by his attorney not to surrender until all legal remedies were exhausted. The Department of Justice (DOJ) reacted to this and said that the advice was unethical and went against the court order.
“[T]he suggestion not to follow the order by the court na lawfully issued by a competent court would be — I would say that suggestion is ill-advised and not only unethical but also potentially criminal,” says Justice Spokesperson Polo Martinez.
Until now, the businessman has remained missing, and due to this, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) launched a ‘massive manhunt’ to track him. Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said they are relaunching a large-scale manhunt involving the entire security apparatus.
“We have a big manhunt operation na gagawin to relaunch it, so the entire security apparatus of the government will be involved,” Remulla said.
How is it different from the previous efforts? According to Remulla, international intelligence agencies will also be coordinated. There will also be use of advanced technology, including satellites.
“The information we get is only as good as the results that derived from it. The intelligence reports, you have to weigh them kung tama o hindi. So it’s a very nuanced business, it’s very hard to explain but we are now involving other international, multinational, partnerships to go for the hunt of Atong Ang,” he explained.
Coordination with Interpol is ongoing, with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) having provided the necessary templates for filing a red notice. The application is slated for submission next week through the Philippine Center on Transnational Crime.
At the same time, the Philippine National Police is set to replace helicopters, which cost about PHP 50,000 per hour, with drones, which are far more economical at roughly PHP 3,000 per hour. It also comes with enhanced technological capabilities.
Authorities expect the manhunt for Ang to escalate in the coming weeks.
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