Atong Ang Surrenders Firearms After License Revocation

MANILA, Philippines — The camp of fugitive gambling tycoon Charlie “Atong” Ang has surrendered five of his six firearms after the Philippine National Police revoked their licenses. The firearms, consisting of one Colt 5.56 rifle, a Glock 9mm pistol, a Sig Sauer 9mm, a Smith and Wesson .38-caliber revolver and a Battle Arms Development 9mm pistol, were surrendered to the Mauway police sub-station 6 in Mandaluyong City on Tuesday. “In compliance with the foregoing directives and without prejudice to any remedies available to him under the law, our client has peacefully surrendered the following firearms through his duly authorized representative,” Ang’s counsel Garbriel Villareal said in a letter to Firearms and Explosives Office director Brig. Gen. Jose Manalad Jr. Ang executed an affidavit of loss for another firearm, a .260 caliber rifle, which the businessman lost sometime in October 2025 and could no longer be surrendered, Villareal said. “In this connection, we further respectfully emphasize that the subject incident should not, in any manner, be used as a basis for the malicious, arbitrary or unwarranted application for the issuance of a search warrant, considering that our client has acted in good faith,” he said. Manalad said the firearms are still with the Mandaluyong police. Ang had been given five days to surrender his firearms. “We gave them ample time. Now, they volunteered (to surrender the firearms),” Manalad told reporters in a phone interview. Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said police officers will employ all means necessary to arrest Ang, who is considered armed and dangerous. Remulla clarified that none of the active and retired police officials allegedly connected with Ang are coddling the gambling tycoon. “We see nothing conclusive that they’re aiding him,” he told reporters. Remulla said that with the fugitive gambling tycoon earning around P1 billion a day or about P300 billion a year from his gaming business, he could easily pay his way out of justice’s reach. Police have so far searched six of Ang’s properties but have been unable to find him. Remulla said Ang was last seen in one of his residences in Mandaluyong. NBI raids Albay farm Meanwhile, operatives from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Tuesday entered a farm in Albay where he was believed to be hiding but failed to find him there. The farm in Barangay Pantao in Libon town, which is owned by a lawyer, has a cockpit arena and a mansion. NBI spokesman Palmer Mallari said Ang was in the farm a “few days or weeks before the issuance of the warrant.” Ang, the owner of Lucky 8 Star Quest Inc., is facing three arrest warrants for the alleged disappearances and killings of cockfight aficionados. During NBI’s search on Tuesday, only a relative of the owner and a caretaker were present. Mallari said the focus of NBI’s search is in Metro Manila and nearby provinces, but he declined to disclose specific locations to avoid compromising the operations. “The idea really is to create the impression that law enforcement will not stop until we are able to accomplish the mission of serving the warrant and arresting him,” he told News5 yesterday. Whistleblower and state witness Julie Patidongan believes his former boss has already fled the country, but the Bureau of Immigration has no record of Ang leaving the Philippines. The NBI said it is coordinating with authorities to prevent the tycoon from escaping through the backdoor. The NBI, meanwhile, may subpoena Ako Bisaya Party-list Rep. Sonny Lagon “if necessary for further verification of information.” A barangay chairman pointed to Lagon as the owner of a farm in San Pablo, Laguna, where Ang could be hiding.