In a shocking escalation of the country’s most mysterious and politically sensitive case, Gretchen Barretto’s legal team has broken weeks of silence—and what they revealed is sending shockwaves through both the media and government halls.

During a surprise press conference at a Makati hotel Monday evening, Barretto’s lead counsel, Atty. Remigio Santiago, stood before cameras and held up a 72-page legal dossier, which he claimed contained “direct, irrefutable, and deeply disturbing” evidence tying Atong Ang, two unnamed Cabinet-level officials, and multiple private-sector middlemen to an organized abduction-for-hire network operating under the cover of the once-legal e-sabong (online cockfighting) industry.

“This is not speculation. This is not hearsay. We have names. We have time stamps. We have receipts. And as of 5:43 this afternoon—we also have audio,” said Santiago.

The Dossier: Code‑Named “Project Talunan”

The 72-page document, code-named “Project Talunan” (Tagalog for “loser”), allegedly contains:

Financial ledgers from a Macau-based holding company linked to Ang

Flight manifests showing synchronized overseas departures of persons of interest

Encrypted chat transcripts between intermediaries arranging “collection pickups”

A signed contract, allegedly referencing payouts for “neutralized accounts,” each listed by alias or initials—amounting to ₱750,000 to ₱1.2 million per head

The most damning section appears to be a payment ledger with initials “R.F.” next to a confirmed date of disappearance for one of the 34 missing sabungeros, as well as “AA” next to a line marked “advance—2x confirm. one returned.”

Journalists immediately speculated whether “AA” referred to Atong Ang—and whether the notation “one returned” could be referencing the recent reappearance of Reynaldo “Rey” Florendo, the first sabungero to turn up alive in more than a year.

The Audio File That Broke the Room

The most chilling moment came when Santiago’s co-counsel, Atty. Julienne Morales, played a 19-second clip allegedly extracted from a hard drive seized from a private security detail working for a shell company tied to Ang.

The recording, muffled but clear in key phrases, includes:

Male Voice 1: “Yan na ‘yan. Positive, same shirt, same sapatos.”
Male Voice 2: “Alam mo na gagawin. Huwag na patagalin.”
[Sound of duct tape]
Male Voice 1: “Picture muna. Padala kay ‘K’.”
[Click. Silence.]

While identities have not been confirmed, voice recognition experts retained by the legal team claim to be in the process of matching one speaker to a known bodyguard in Atong Ang’s former security roster.

Gretchen Barretto: “I Was Used as Cover”

In a pre-recorded video message played at the conference, Barretto herself appeared solemn and visibly shaken:

“I was never involved in any operation. I now believe I was used as a public decoy—while darker deals happened in rooms I was never allowed to enter. I stayed silent for months. But I’m not afraid anymore. The people deserve to know the truth.”

Barretto did not take questions but confirmed she is cooperating with authorities as a witness, not a person of interest.

Atong Ang: Silent, but Not Absent

As of this writing, Atong Ang has not responded to the allegations, but sources confirm he attempted to board a private flight to Kuala Lumpur on July 2—the same day Barretto’s lawyers submitted an encrypted copy of the dossier to the Senate Committee on Justice.

He was briefly detained at the airport, questioned for two hours, and released.

A Senate insider says the names of two Cabinet officials—identified only as “AO” and “JP”—appear repeatedly throughout the dossier, particularly in flagged communications around “routing protection” and “national ops coverage.” These are believed to reference both police cooperation and attempts to shield key players from investigation.

Government in Panic Mode

The fallout was immediate:

Malacañang Palace issued a brief statement urging “caution” and “preservation of due process,” but sources say the President is calling for a full intelligence briefing.

The NBI’s Task Force Sabungero has already launched a forensic review of the submitted files and confirmed it is seeking to subpoena the “audio devices and all source materials.”

Senator Ada Ruiz, long a critic of the government’s handling of the disappearances, called for a full public hearing and “emergency protective custody” for Barretto and her legal team.

“This may finally be the crack in the wall we’ve been waiting for,” she told reporters. “But we must act before that wall is cemented shut again—by fear, bribery, or blood.”

The Broader Picture

Since 2022, the disappearance of over 30 cockfighting workers and bettors has remained one of the most confounding scandals in modern Philippine history. For months, the e-sabong industry has been accused of laundering billions of pesos through virtual wallets, crypto bridges, and offshore bank accounts.

Investigative reports from The Manila Dispatch and WhistleNow Asia have previously linked these finances to political campaign coffers, celebrity ventures, and intelligence funds marked “for confidential use.”

But no case has yielded hard, admissible proof—until now, if the Barretto team’s dossier holds up under scrutiny.

What Happens Next

The pressure is now on the Senate, DOJ, and AMLC (Anti-Money Laundering Council) to verify the documents, corroborate the audio, and move quickly to freeze assets or detain suspects if needed.

At least three whistleblowers are said to be under protection in undisclosed safehouses, including one “internal courier” with knowledge of the kill-for-fee routing mechanism, and another who allegedly managed a telegram group used to coordinate payouts.

Barretto’s team claims more files will be released in phases, should anything happen to her or the lawyers.

“This is no longer about just sabungeros,” Atty. Santiago said in closing. “This is about what kind of country we’re letting this become—where people vanish, and the ones who know why are hunted into silence.”