MANILA, Philippines – Controversial Chinese businessman Tony Yang, the brother of former presidential economic adviser Michael Yang, built a business empire in Cagayan de Oro City and the nearby Tagoloan town, but one that’s been entangled with issues related to drugs.
This was center to the interpellation of Sta Rosa, Laguna Representative Dan Fernandez on Friday, September 27, as the House quad committee continued its investigation into the connection of POGOs (Philippine offshore gaming operators) and the illegal drug trade.
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) confirmed to the quad committee that one of Tony Yang’s business partners in a Misamis Oriental gravel company, the Mis. Or. Sand and Gravel Corporation, is a person of interest to them.
“He’s a person of interest, and we would like to request to submit a report instead so as not to compromise the operation,” PDEA chief retired police general Moro Virgilio Lazo.
Among Yang’s biggest business in Misamis Oriental is the Philippine Sanjia Steel Corporation, which entered into a lease contract with the Philippine Veterans Investment Development Corporation or Phividec, a state agency in charge of developing lands into industrial estates. Yang’s Sanjia ran a steel operation out of the Phividec compound in Tagaloan, right next to Cagayan de Oro City.
In January 2021, Sanjia was flagged for “alleged rice and drug smuggling” at their port inside Phividec, according to Phividec’s own report as read by Fernandez.
Phividec held the cargo not only because of the suspicion of rice and drug smuggling, but also because Sanjia did not have a permit to operate a commercial port. The cargo came from a vessel from Vietnam that docked at Sanjia’s port.
The report said that the cargo was subsequently released after K-9 dogs “cleared the cargo from possible illegal drugs.” During the quad committee hearing, the Phividec administrator at the time, Jose Gabriel “Pompee” La Viña, said that he was told by a Customs officer that he risked being sued if they didn’t release the cargo.
“We were being threatened by the Bureau of Customs that if we don’t release the cargo, I will be liable for cases,” said La Viña, who was social media director of Rodrigo Duterte’s 2016 presidential campaign.
Yang is being investigated over his links to the POGO criminalities, and possibly smuggling and drugs.
Fernandez on Friday made the point that Yang entered into business with personalities being linked to drugs.
Fernandez said Yang’s business partner in the company New Hope Flour Milling was Lin Weixiong alias Allan Lim. One of Yang’s businesses in Cagayan de Oro City was Oroone Inc., which was a certified service provider of the POGO Xionwei Technology, which is allegedly also run by Lim. Lin Weixiong/Allan Lim and Michael Yang had been linked to the drug trade by retired intelligence officer Eduardo Acierto.
Save for a few confirmations, and denials, of the names of his business associates, Tony Yang did not say much, except to tell lawmakers to “not put Michael Yang with him because they’ve been separated for a long time,” as translated from Mandarin to English by the House interpreter.
This undated photo shows Tony Yang, Michael Yang, and their other brother Hongjiang Yang, with Senator Alan Peter Cayetano. Rappler had reached out to Cayetano via his own mobile number and through a staff member since Thursday, September 26, to inquire about circumstances of the photo. His office acknowledged our message. We will update this story once the senator responds.
Before the hearing ended Friday, the House quad committee had approved a motion to detain Tony Yang at the Quezon City Jail male dormitory over charges of contempt. But Yang had been held in custody by the Bureau of Immigration after he was arrested on September 19 for being an undesirable alien.
Tony Yang had earlier told the Senate he obtained a fake Filipino birth certificate under the name Antonio Lim, an identity he used to register some of his businesses. – Rappler.com