Accused in missing sabungeros case submits affidavit vs. Ang, others

One of the accused in the missing sabungeros case has submitted an affidavit in support of the murder complaint filed against businessman Atong Ang and others with the Department of Justice, a prosecutor said Monday.

Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Charlie Guhit said the Philippine National Police submitted additional affidavits, including that of Gleer Codilla, one of the accused in the case filed with a Manila court.

“With respect to the submission of the other affidavits, they are witnesses. Particularly, I remember Gleer Codilla,” Guhit said in an ambush interview.

Codilla, along with whistleblower Julie Patidongan, is a respondent in the kidnapping and serious illegal detention case filed with the Manila RTC for the alleged kidnapping of John Claude Inonog, James Baccay, Marlon Baccay, Rondel Cristorum, Mark Joseph Velasco, and Rowel Gomez.

When asked about Codilla’s pending case at the trial court, Guhit clarified that the affidavit he submitted is in support of the complaint.

“The affidavit is submitted here in support of the complaint,” he said.

“It does not prevent whether a respondent will submit an affidavit in support of the complainant. So they would be a witness and respondent at the same time,” he later added.

This is the second preliminary probe held at the Department of Justice for the kidnapping with serious illegal detention and multiple murder complaint filed against Ang and others.

Aside from this, Guhit said the PNP submitted five USBs.

“They have submitted five copies of the USB. In fact, the panel allowed the same to be viewed during the hearing,” 

This came after the panel of prosecutors directed the PNP to submit the additional evidence after the respondents flagged the lack of documents attached to the complaint.

The respondents previously said that the USBs were not included.

Guhit said that the next hearing was moved from October 13 to November 3 due to the additional evidence and submission of the complainants.

“The panel required that all respondents must subscribe their counter-affidavit before the panel… pursuant to the rules on preliminary investigation,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ang's legal counsel, Atty. Gabriel Villareal, said Ang may personally appear at the DOJ for the filing of his counter-affidavit.

"Malamang nandito ho si Sir Atong Ang kasi 'yun ang nire-require ng ating panel of prosecutors," he said.

Among the respondents are actress Gretchen Barretto and former National Capital Region Police Office chief retired Police General Jonnel Estomo.

Barretto already filed her counter-affidavit to the complaint, with her camp calling the allegations “unsubstantiated and incredible.”

Families

Meanwhile, the families of the sabungeros said they braved the floods to attend the probe. 

“‘Yung dinaanan namin sa amin sa Calumpit baha ngayon. Pero kailangan namin pumunta dito para ipakita namin na pursigido kami,” Ederlyn Bernardo, the sibling of missing sabungero Edgar Malaca, said in an ambush interview.

(The area we passed through in Calumpit is flooded now. But we needed to come here to show that we are determined.)

“Bumaha, bumagyo, umulan, umaraw nandito po kami. Hindi kami mawawala dito,” she added.

(It flooded, there was a storm, it rained, it shined, we are here. We will not disappear from here.) —AOL, GMA Integrated News