here’s the latest major update on the missing sabungeros case! Senator Bato has finally spoken. And guys, what he revealed might shock you.

If you remember, there was a Senate hearing about the missing sabungeros back when the disappearance of the victims first came to light. Families of the victims said that after the hearing, their case seemed to have been forgotten — buried and neglected.

Well now, the reason behind that has been revealed. Apparently, the reason why Atong Ang and the alleged masterminds behind the case were never charged is because, during the peak of the investigation and the Senate hearing (where Atong Ang was even summoned), there was no sufficient evidence to prove or directly link Atong Ang and his alleged accomplices to the disappearances.

That’s why the case seemed to go nowhere — because of a lack of strong evidence. At that time, people like Don Don (alias Totoy) and Arias were wanted by the law and had charges filed against them, but they hadn’t come forward yet. This is what Senator Bato has now admitted: they couldn’t file charges because there simply was no solid evidence.

Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa has stated that he is ready to reopen the investigation into the case of the missing sabungeros if someone files a resolution at the start of the 20th Congress session. During the earlier investigation by the Senate, some senators admitted that they could not find any direct evidence linking businessman Atong Ang to the disappearance of the sabungeros. Thus, they could not recommend that he be charged.

Let’s take a look at the live report from Meann Corvera.

Senator Bato is now considering re-investigating the missing sabungeros case that was previously handled by the 19th Congress. According to Dela Rosa, if given the opportunity, the new witness who came forward and implicated Atong Ang could be summoned. Senator Bato believes that a high-profile personality is behind the disappearance. He said it’s impossible for the sabungeros to have just vanished without someone orchestrating it.

“Is it possible that they just magically disappeared?” Bato asked rhetorically.

There might be a Senate Hearing Part Two on the missing sabungeros because they may summon more people, including Don Don, a.k.a. alias Totoy, and for the first time, he may face his former boss again.

Senator Bato’s committee led the original investigation into the missing sabungeros. But he admitted they found no evidence directly linking business tycoon Atong Ang — the reported owner of Pitmaster Foundation — to the case. This was why they did not recommend filing charges against him.

“He was very tough back then,” Bato recalled about Atong’s Senate appearance. “He didn’t budge. He wasn’t charged because the Senate hearing didn’t find enough proof.”

Senator Bato seems to be admitting now that he struggled with the case of the missing sabungeros. Even with the investigation, they couldn’t present evidence that would conclusively link Atong to the case.

Bato has urged the CIDG (Criminal Investigation and Detection Group) and the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) to continue investigating the case, emphasizing that 34 men could not have simply disappeared without powerful people behind it — people who were orchestrating everything from the shadows.

“We don’t have the evidence to connect [Atong Ang] to the management of Pitmaster,” he admitted, “There’s nothing to link them concretely.”

Atong Ang was named by whistleblower Julie Don Don Patidongan, a.k.a. Totoy, who claimed that Atong Ang ordered the abduction and killing of sabungeros at various cockpit arenas in Manila, Laguna, Batangas, and Bulacan.

Dela Rosa said if a resolution is filed, he is ready to reopen the case because he still chairs the Senate Committee on Public Order. For now, he urges the PNP (Philippine National Police) to continue their investigation, especially into the police officers allegedly involved in the abductions and disappearances.

There’s a high possibility, he said, that police officers were involved — in fact, some police personnel were already recommended by the Senate for charges due to the abduction of Ricardo Lasco, a known master agent of online sabong, who went missing on August 13, 2021. Lasco was positively identified by his family as having been taken by uniformed men before he disappeared.

Totoy (the whistleblower) even confirmed that Lasco and the others were already dead and buried in a remote area called Tarik. Because of this, the Coast Guard and the Navy are currently conducting intensive searches in the area. According to recent news, another sack containing bones was found. However, according to the DOJ, they are not yet confirming if these remains belong to the missing sabungeros.

They need to forensically examine the remains before making any conclusions. Some people are speculating that the bones might be planted evidence or fake.

Just think about it, guys — it’s a huge issue.

Let’s all stay tuned for updates on these sacks of bones and what forensic testing will reveal.