By MANILA, Philippines — The legal counsel of one of the police officers allegedly involved in the abduction of cockfighting aficionados (sabungeros) denied that his client was connected to gaming tycoon and alleged mastermind Atong Ang.
Police Senior Master Sgt. Joey Natanauan Encarnacion was among the 12 cops allegedly on Ang’s payroll to kidnap and kill the sabungeros between April 2021 and January 2022, according to whistleblower Julie Patidongan, also known as Dondon or Totoy.
“He doesn’t know Mr. Atong Ang personally. He only knows him because Mr. Atong Ang is a popular personality, but he has not had personal engagements with Mr. Atong Ang,” Encarnacion’s legal counsel Atty. Bernard Vitriolo said in Filipino in a press conference on Wednesday in Quezon City.
