QUEZON CITY — The face behind the alias “Totoy” has finally been revealed. Julie “Dondon” Patidongan, the key whistleblower in the case of the missing sabungeros (cockfighting enthusiasts), stepped into the public spotlight on Monday, July 14, 2025, as he filed administrative complaints against 12 police officers before the National Police Commission (Napolcom).
In a press conference held at the Napolcom central office, Patidongan named several police officers, alleging their direct involvement in the abduction, execution, and disposal of the victims. According to Patidongan, the cockfighters were abducted from farms and later dumped into Taal Lake in Batangas.
“These cops were the ones who kidnapped the cockfighters. They also dumped them in Taal Lake,” Patidongan said, further claiming that the officers received payments for carrying out these crimes.
Once considered a suspect himself, Patidongan has now turned whistleblower and is backed by the families of the missing victims. Together, they filed formal administrative charges which, if upheld, could lead to the suspension or dismissal of the implicated officers from service.
Among those named in the complaint is Col. Jacinto Malinao, Jr., whom Patidongan said was a close associate of Celso Salazar—an engineer previously identified as a co-conspirator of businessman Charlie “Atong” Ang. Patidongan also implicated Lt. Col. Ryan Jay Orapa, whom he was introduced to by Malinao.
The whistleblower reiterated his earlier claims that Ang, Salazar, and Eric dela Rosa were the masterminds behind the killings. He explained that the officers involved were mostly remnants of the controversial “war on drugs,” and were allegedly recruited due to their prior involvement in similar missions.
Patidongan further revealed that as many as 30 more police officers, most of them now inactive, were linked to the disappearance of the sabungeros. Among the additional names he mentioned was retired Lt. Gen. Jonnel Estomo, former chief of the PNP National Capital Region Police Office.
Photos of Patidongan have surfaced online following a report by SunStar Cebu, showing the whistleblower for the first time since his alias “Totoy” became widely known in connection with the high-profile case.
As the investigation unfolds, pressure mounts on authorities to hold those involved accountable and deliver justice to the families still searching for their missing loved ones.