The lawyer of businessman Charlie “Atong” Ang, Caroline Cruz, confirmed that she met with relatives of the missing sabungeros on April 20.Cruz clarified that the families themselves initiated the meeting and that it was a cordial encounter.She emphasized that her motivation for the meeting was solely to help in the search for truth regarding the missing individuals.Additionally, Cruz provided financial support of P20,000 to the families without expecting any return or agreement.

She stated that the families did not sign any documents that could influence the ongoing case, and she believes her actions were in accordance with her conscience.In a related development, two police officers, Police Lieutenant Nadame Malang of the Highway Patrol Group and Police Major Reynaldo Pañebe Jr.of the PNP Custodial Center, were relieved from their posts due to suspicions of involvement in unauthorized interactions with the missing persons.

Police Brigadier Manuel Abrugena clarified that there is still no conclusive evidence that unauthorized visitors were allowed access to persons under police custody.The situation continues to be investigated by authorities.