Atong Ang

Casino Filipino videotape and the disappearance of Egay Bentain Ang is a close associate of former president Joseph Estrada, and the two, along with Dharm "Danny" Devnani (who can be seen coaching Estrada), branch at the Grand Boulevard Hotel along Roxas Boulevard in Manila during September 15, 1996.

In an affidavit in August 2001, Devnani, one of Ang's gambling associates, had linked Ang to Bentain's disappearance. According to Devnani, Ang knew who leaked the video tape and provided a cryptic warning ("Alam ko 'yan. Kami na bahala. Malapit na") which Devnani didn't pay any mind until Devnani saw news headlines on newspapers that Bentain had disappeared. Lacson alleges that military intelligence chief Col. Victor Corpus is using Mawanay as part of then nascent president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's government campaign to bring Lacson down. Corpus, after initially apologizing to Lacson after Corpus has been kicked out of the Intelligence Services of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) for conning witnesses, apologized again to Lacson in April 2017, stating that his information was "devious and a fraud". Lacson accepted Corpus' apology, which he said was "long in coming.".

Lacson mentioned Bentain's disappearance in his second privilege speech against Estrada in September 22, 2009. In it, he recalls that Bentain was killed "somewhere in Laguna", and that a former police officer ent to Polk St. in Greenhills and reported compliance with a "mission accomplished". The house occupant simply said, "Sige, sabihin mo sa mga bata, maraming salamat." Lacson further asserts that he didn't identify the criminal because he "did not have any participation or direct personal knowledge of these criminal activities while they were taking place years ago. My investigation is ongoing even as I speak today. But I have gathered enough facts and data to provide the useful leads to unmask the mastermind's true identity and his active participation including other persons who were barely mentioned in the conduct of investigation.".

Before the speech, Ediver Bentain, Edgar's youngest brother, hoped that the speech would reveal who was the "mastermind" of the disappearance of his brother. His family does not want anyone in the family to grant any interview regarding the incident, so as for fear of disappearance. He says that his mother wished to see Edgar's ashes, and noted that the Dacer family were lucky because they had seen Salvador Dacer's remains. Ediver has long suspected that Estrada was involved with Edgar's disappearance and that Lacson could be involved.

Impeachment trial of Joseph Estrada

On October 4, 2000, Ilocos Sur Governor Luis "Chavit" Singson and jueteng lord, a longtime friend of Estrada, went public with accusations that Estrada and his friends and family had received millions of pesos from operations of jueteng: an illegal numbers game played by selecting two numbers ranging from 1 to 37, which bettors can play for as low as one peso. Ang triggered the rift between Estrada and Singson. Estrada allegedly gave Ang the green light to operate jueteng, which threatened to put Singson out of his illegal business. and then took a flight to the United States, where he sought asylum. On April 25, 2001, the Sandiganbayan issued an arrest warrant for Ang on charges of plunder alongside Estrada, his son Jinggoy and his business associate Yolanda Ricaforte among others, with Ang later arrested by the FBI at the Paris Las Vegas casino hotel along the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, on the basis of an extradition request in the early hours of November 25, 2001. Ang tried to apply for bail, but the Las Vegas court denied this request on March 1, 2002, instead opting for an extradition. He was sentenced to two years probation; although he later requested that he be allowed to serve as a lottery consultant in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, the Sandiganbayan denied his request in December 2007. He served his sentence in a Quezon City prison until his release in late May 2009.

Masiao As a PAGCOR contractor during Estrada's presidential tenure, Ang also distributed Pagcor IDs for bet collectors within Visayas and Mindanao. Rex "Wakee" Salud, a boxing promoter who also operates an off-fronton betting station in Cebu City, told a local radio station that Ang authorized him to distribute Pagcor IDs in Cebu City. These IDs were used to collect illegal "masiao" bets - an illegal numbers game based on outcomes of a jai-alai game in Manila, which is as popular in Visayas and Mindanao as jueteng is in Luzon.

On January 13, 2026, a court in Santa Cruz, Laguna, issued arrest warrants for Ang and several other individuals on charges of kidnapping and homicide over the disappearances. Seventeen individuals, including 10 police officers, were arrested in the subsequent manhunt operation, while Ang remains at large. The Department of the Interior and Local Government offered a reward for information leading to Ang's arrest, which was subsequently increased to .

On January 16, 2026, a court in Lipa, Batangas, issued arrest warrants for Ang and 20 individuals on charges of kidnapping and homicide over the disappearances. A warrant on similar charges was issued against him in San Pablo, Laguna on February 6.

On May 11, 2026, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) announced that Red Notices from the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) had been issued against Ang and two other fugitives, namely Gerald Bantag and Rafael Dumlao III.

Personal life Ang is married to Iris Ang and has three children. In 2007, he reportedly suffered from a kidney ailment, hypertension, pedal edema and lower back pain while being sentenced by the Sandiganbayan.

In 2024, Ang confirmed that he was in a relationship with Sunshine Cruz.