Atong Ang is back

ERSTWHILE presidential pal Charlie “Atong” Ang is back in the country after fleeing to the U.S. five years ago. He has been extradited to face charges as a co-accused in the plunder case against former President Joseph Estrada.

Ang, a consultant of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) on jai alai operations during Estrada’s time, is alleged to have funneled P130 million in kickbacks from illegal gambling and the tobacco excise tax to Estrada’s “Jose Velarde” account.

Among the deposed president’s close friends of ethnic Chinese descent, Ang already had a reputation for being a high-stakes gambler with shady connections. In a report in PCIJ’s i magazine on Estrada’s bosom buddies with rather questionable characters, Yvonne Chua described Ang as such:

(He) gained notoriety when he was caught on videotape gambling with Estrada, then vice president, at the Casino Filipino at the Heritage Hotel. The tape was released by former movie and television board chair Manuel Morato at the peak of the 1998 presidential campaign.

Estrada was said to have distanced himself from the 43-year-old Ang when he was handed an unflattering dossier that detailed Ang’s supposed involvement in criminal activities. But somehow, Ang managed to worm his way back into the President’s good graces.

(In 1999), Ang became chief executive officer of Fontana Resort and Country Club, a membership club that boasts of villas, a water park and a nine-hole golf course at Clark, Pampanga. According to (Ilocos Gov. Chavit) Singson, Estrada is one of the owners of Fontana, as well as the now-defunct Fontainbleau, which Fontana bought out.

As Pagcor consultant, Ang’s company, Power Management and Consultancy, was paid P500,000 a day, excluding bonuses. Another of his companies, Prominent Management and Marketing was a “consultant” of Pagcor on Bingo 2-Ball, a legalized form of jueteng.

Ang’s decision to award the Bingo 2-Ball franchise in Ilocos Sur to Singson’s cousin and long-time foe, former Rep. Eric Singson, triggered the governor’s rampage that eventually exploded into the jueteng controversy.

Ang was eventually arrested in a Las Vegas gambling strip in November 2001 and was jailed for a year. He was later freed after posting a $300,000-bail but was however put under house arrest. He is temporarily being detained at the National Bureau of Investigation while awaiting his trial.

For more on Atong Ang, see also the following PCIJ reports:

• Cronies Scramble to Get Clark Casino for Estrada
• Jueteng Republic