Kin of missing sabungeros vow to fight back vs. Atong Ang

The kin of two of the 34 missing sabungeros were fueled with sadness and anger after one of the accused identified businessman Charlie "Atong" Ang as the mastermind behind their abductions.

Maria Carmelita Lasco, mother of Jon-Jon Lasco, said their family already knew that Ang was the suspect but they feared for their lives if they would be the first one to tag him to the case.  

“Magdusa din sila, magdusa sa kulungan, maranasan nila kung gaano kahirap. Yun ay kulong pa lang, how much more na pinatay nila yung anak ko,” the 76-year-old mother said in Mark Salazar’s report in “24 Oras” on Wednesday. 

(I hope they would also suffer inside prison and experience how hard it is. But the hardship of being detained is incomparable to how they killed my son.) 

Maria Carmelita added that she will make sure that Ang will be held accountable. 

“Laban ako. Kailangan lumaban ako,” she added. 

(I will fight back. I need to do it.) 

This was how she responded after she watched an earlier interview of Julie "Dondon" Patidongan, one of the accused in the case, who claimed that Ang and three others, including actress Gretchen Barretto, are involved in the abductions. 

Maria Carmelita urged Patidongon to stand by the statements he has made and not to recant them. She also hoped for other witnesses to come out. 

Meanwhile, the family of another missing sabungero, Edgar Malaca, said they were not surprised with Patidongan’s revelations. 

“Kung nagkasala man sana yung mga sabungero, dapat dinaan niyo sa batas, pinakulong niyo nalang sana dinaan niyo sa proseso. Hindi eh, masama ang loob namin kung ganun ang ginawa mo,” said Carmen Malaca, mother of Edgar. 

(If these sabungeros did something wrong, they could have dealt with them under the law such as arresting them. But no, we were hurt by what you did to them.) 

“Pero yun pagki-kidnap at pagkitil sa mga buhay ng 34 na sabungero, sobra-sobra yung ginawa mong parusa sa aming lahat. Nasaan ang konsensya mo? Wala ka bang ina? Wala ka bang anak? Wala ka bang kapatid at mga asawa?” she added. 

(Kidnapping and killing the 34 cockfight enthusiasts was too much punishment to all of us. Where’s your conscience? Don’t you have a mother? Don’t you have a child? Don’t you have a sibling or a spouse?) 

Authorities said the missing persons were kidnapped allegedly due to match fixing or cheating in the cockfighting games.

Patidongan also earlier claimed that the victims’ remains were buried in Taal Lake. —GMA Integrated News