MANILA, Philippines — Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) chairman Felix Reyes on Wednesday categorically denied allegations that he intervened in court cases involving controversial businessman Charlie “Atong” Ang, calling the accusations “wild” and “baseless.”
Reyes, a retired judge, was responding to claims made by Julie “Dondon” Patidongan, a whistleblower in the unresolved disappearance of several cockfighting enthusiasts, who alleged that the PCSO official traveled abroad with prosecutors and judges to fix cases in Ang’s favor.
“I categorically deny such wild accusations of Mr. Patidongan. I dare him to identify any specific case of Mr. Atong Ang or anything related to the case (of the missing sabungeros), which I understand is still pending in court, that I fixed or settled to the advantage of Mr. Ang,” Reyes said in a statement.
Gaming tycoon Charlie ‘Atong’ Ang, with his counsel Lorna Kapunan and Executive Director of Pitmaster Foundation Caroline Cruz, files a complaint against Julie Patidongan alias ‘Totoy’ and Alan Bantiles alias ‘Brown’ who accused him as the mastermind behind the abduction of several cockfight watchers before the Mandaluyong City Prosecutor’s Office on July 3, 2025. PHOTO BY ISMAEL DE JUAN
“If Mr. Patidongan cannot substantiate his accusation of case-fixing, I ask him to shut up,” he added.
Reyes said he has authorized the Bureau of Immigration to release his travel records from the time he retired from the judiciary in October 2021, suggesting that the timing of the allegation, which surfaced a day after he filed his application for the position of Ombudsman, was suspect.
He also expressed willingness to cooperate in any investigation, saying he hoped to “spare the judiciary and the prosecution service from the undeserved tarnishing of these institutions.”
Reyes served as presiding judge of the Marikina Regional Trial Court and led the Philippine Judges Association before his appointment as PCSO chairman in May 2025.
