FACT-CHECK: Old video of tycoon Atong Ang resurfaces amid manhunt

CLAIM: Tycoon Charlie “Atong” Ang was arrested and was meted the death penalty.

RATING: FALSE

An old video of tycoon Charlie Tiu Hay Ang, also known as Atong Ang, resurfaced on social media to accompany a false claim that he was finally arrested, days after a non-bailable warrant was issued by a Regional Trial Court on Jan. 13.

Flagged content: YouTube channel “TRENDING PINAS NEWS” uploaded the video on Jan. 17 pretending to be a legitimate breaking news report on Ang’s supposed arrest.

• The caption and text on the thumbnail read: “KAKAPASOK LANG! ATONG ANG NAIYAK HULI NA, BITAY ANG HATOL” , “walang nagawa ang yaman” (sic). (Just in! Atong Ang cried, already caught, death by hanging was imposed. Wealth did nothing.)
• The thumbnail used a manipulated image that falsely shows Ang handcuffed by police officers. A close up of his face was altered with artificial intelligence (AI) to appear to be emotional, while behind bars.

Our debunk: The uploaded video used an old footage of Ang when he filed a complaint against accusers, Julie “Dondon” Patidongan and Alan “Brown” Bantiles, before the Mandaluyong City Prosecutor’s Office on July. 3, 2025.

• The footage showed Ang walking down the stairs with his bodyguard and cameramen around. He was not arrested that time.
• The same footage can also be found in various news reports published on the same date.

Rewind: On Jan. 13, Branch 26 of the Laguna Regional Trial Court issued an arrest warrant against Ang and 17 other individuals for kidnapping and homicide, in relation to the missing sabungeros (cockfighters) case.

• On Jan. 15, a second arrest warrant against Ang and 20 other individuals was issued by the Lipa City Regional Trial Court.
• On Jan. 16, a P10-million bounty was offered by the Department of the Interior and Local Government to those who can provide leads on Ang’s location.

Why we fact-checked this: As of writing, Ang was declared a “fugitive from justice” by the justice department.

• Whistleblower testimony claims that over a hundred sabungeros were killed and dumped in Taal lake in Batangas.
• While human remains have been found in the lake mid-2025, DNA analysis and forensic testing have yet to identify who the victims were.

Spot the fake: Disinformation that mimics real breaking news distorts the public’s understanding of developing stories such as the case of the missing sabungeros. This news-cycle disinformation has the potential to mislead the public into believing that justice has been served. Dhayshel Tinoy

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