Office of the Vice President spokesperson Ruth Castelo — File photo

MANILA, Philippines — Ruth Castelo, the newly appointed spokesperson for the Office of the Vice President (OVP), on Wednesday denied having any ties to the businesses of Atong Ang, the alleged mastermind behind the disappearance of several cockfighting enthusiasts or sabungeros.

Castelo made the statement in response to questions about her supposed connection to Ang, particularly following her role as his lawyer in 2007.

The new OVP spokesperson confirmed that she was Ang’s lawyer in 2007 in a plunder case, for which he was later placed under a two-year probation period.

“And as soon as he was released from Bicutan in 2009, that was the end of our lawyer-client relationship,” Castelo said in a press conference.

“We remain friends, yes, but his own endeavors and businesses, I have nothing to do with them. So no, I’m not involved with any of his activities from the time he was released from Bicutan,” she added.

As early as 2021, sabungeros linked to the Ang-owned PitMaster e-sabong company began to go missing.

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The case, however, only progressed in 2025 after whistleblower Julie “Dondon” Patidongan (alias Totoy)—one of six security guards accused of abducting the sabungeros—said that the missing sabungeros were already dead and had been dumped in Taal Lake, Batangas.

He later alleged that Ang, actress Gretchen Barretto, a former judge, a former local government official, and several police officers were also involved in the case./mcm/abc