Charlie “Atong” Ang and Gretchen Barretto

The charges of multiple murder and serious illegal detention against businessman Charlie “Atong” Ang and more than 60 others over the disappearance of the “sabungeros” (cockfight enthusiasts) have been submitted for resolution following the conclusion of its preliminary investigation on Tuesday.

Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Charlie Guhit said the panel of prosecutors declared the cases that went through preliminary investigation submitted for resolution, meaning they would now evaluate the evidence and testimonies to determine if complaints could be filed in court.

“The panel will try to resolve the case as soon as possible within the period allowed by the rules,” Guhit told reporters in an interview.

“As of now, there is no specific date yet for when we will issue the resolution for this case because there are still many documents that need to be attached to the respondents’ counter-affidavits,” he said.

Of the 62 respondents, 57 submitted their counter-affidavits, including Ang and celebrity Gretchen Barretto.

Gabriel Villareal, Ang’s legal counsel, said they hope the case would be referred back to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) of the Philippine National Police, arguing that the evidence presented reportedly “do not have enough credibility.”

“As I said previously, I would prefer that the case be re-investigated. That way, we can truly find out who is really involved in the disappearance of the missing cockfight enthusiasts,” he said in a separate interview.

“If we simply dismiss this case without a resolution on what really happened, I would rather that it be returned to the CIDG so they can thoroughly study and gather all the complete evidence they can find,” he added.

According to Guhit, the prosecutors will address in their resolution the issue on whether or not the case should be returned to the CIDG.

“Technically speaking, this case is pending preliminary investigation. [The] way forward is to resolve the case so it’s either dismissal or for filing [in court],” the prosecutor explained.

If the case is dismissed, the complainants may refile it and submit additional documents or testimonies to the Department of Justice, he added.

Ryan Bautista, whose brother Michael Bautista was among the missing cockfight enthusiasts, expressed confidence that they would finally achieve justice.

“When it comes to evidence, we have our whistleblower, and everything he says is true. We’ve also seen proof, like the place where the bodies were supposedly dumped, where bones have actually been found,” Bautista said.

He is referring to whistleblower Julie “Dondon” Patidongan, who revealed that the missing “sabungeros” were allegedly dumped in Taal Lake in Batangas.