NAIA / OCTOBER 7, 2023
Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1, Pasay City on October 7, 2023.
INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / NINO JESUS ORBETA
MANILA, Philippines — The eldest brother of former presidential economic adviser Michael Yang has been arrested at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia), Santa Rosa City Rep. Dan Fernandez said.
During the tail end of the House of Representatives’ quad-committee hearing on Thursday, Fernandez announced that they got a report that a certain Yang Jian Xin — who appears to be the president of Philippine Sanjia Steel Corporation — is now under the custody of the Bureau of Immigration (BI).
“Now it has reached to our knowledge that this brother of Hong Ming Yang who is Michael Yang, and Hong Jing Yang who is being cited already [for] contempt, now is in the custody of the Immigration because accordingly […] if you remember Alice Guo, Yang Jian Xinm who is the eldest brother ni Michael Yang, was already apprehended at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport a while ago,” he said, speaking partly in Filipino.
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“And his violation is in accordance with the Immigration Law. Since the the corporation he filed in the SEC [Securities and Exchanges Commission] — can you kindly show the picture of the Philippine Sanjia Steel Corp. wherein he is the president. He owns a passport in the name of Antonio Lim,” he added.
According to Fernandez, Yang Jian Xin supposedly uses the Filipino name of Antonio Lim.
“That Antonio Lim where his residence that was submitted to the SEC – Yakal Street Cagayan de Oro City – is the same person of the brother of Michael Yang in the name of Jian Xin Yang, the older brother of Michael Yang,” Fernandez said.
“Now what is his violation why he was apprehended at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport? Because of his violation of these laws in accordance with our immigration policies,” he added.
Fernandez believes the steel corporation, which is based in Cagayan de Oro City too, is being set up to be a Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) site.
Michael Yang has been cited for contempt by the House committee on dangerous drugs, after repeatedly refusing to attend a probe on a September 2023 drug bust in Pampanga.
Yang’s name was mentioned before the quad-committee was even formed. According to a matrix shown by Fernandez, they came up with a diagram showing Yang allegedly connected to Aedy Yang, Willie Ong, Jack T. Yang, Yang Hua Huang, and Cai Ji Ru — names who figured during the different hearings on illegal drugs and Pogos.