Michael Yang. MALACANANG FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Former presidential economic adviser Michael Yang on Thursday denied he is an agent sent by the Chinese Communist Party to the Philippines, adding he did not influence President Rodrigo Duterte’s foreign policy towards China.
During a Senate blue ribbon committee hearing, Senator Richard Gordon asked Yang if he is a member of the Communist Party of China (CPC).
This, after Gordon flashed an old photo of Yang welcoming Liang Jiangyong, the secretary-general of the Fujian Provincial Party Committee under the CPC, in his office in Makati City when he was still Duterte’s economic adviser.
Yang answered “no” to Gordon’s question.
“Are you a Chinese communist agent in the Philippines?” the senator also asked.
“No I am not, I am not,” Yang said through an interpreter.
‘I love the Philippines’
Gordon also showed several photos of Yang, during his time as economic adviser, where he was seen rubbing shoulders with Filipino and Chinese officials both in the Philippines and when Duterte embarked on visits to China.
The senator said he was puzzled as to why it was “coincidental” that Duterte’s foreign policy towards China “changed” once Yang became one of his advisers.
“Magmula noong dumating ka, nagbago na ang foreign policy ng Pilipinas. Naging best friend mo si President Duterte. Again I ask you, are an agent of the Chinese Communist Party in the Philippines?” Gordon asked.
(When you came, the foreign policy of the Philippines changed, again I ask you, are you an agent of the Chinese Communist Party in the Philippines?)
Yang once again denied this.
“Number one, I am not an agent sent by the Chinese Communist Party. Number two, we will never or would never dare to be involved in foreign policy of the President,” he told the committee.
“Number three, what we wish for is really for China and the Philippines to have very good relations and this is something that we want to see. And I love the Philippines and I really wish China and the Philippines will have good relations,” Yang added.
Senators are investigating the government’s transactions with Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp., which was awarded over P8.6 billion worth of supply contracts for medical supplies in 2020 despite being only several months old and having just P625,000 in paid-up capital.
Yang’s name first turned up in the Senate investigation after a 2017 video showed him introducing Pharmally officials to Duterte in Davao City.
It was then disclosed that Pharmally had “borrowed money” from Yang to help them fulfill some of the government’s orders last year.
But Yang had insisted that it was his friends, not him, who funded Pharmally in some of its contracts with the government.