House panel hails arrest of Michael Yang’s brother

AIRPORT ARREST Yang Jian Xin, who uses the business name Antonio Yang, is arrested at Terminal 3 of Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Thursday on charges of being an undesirable alien for impersonating a Filipino. He is the elder brother of Michael Yang, who is being sought in connection with a drug bust last year. —BUREAU OF IMMIGRATION PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The House quad committee on Friday said the arrest of Tony Yang, the elder brother of former presidential economic adviser Michael Yang, was a “major breakthrough” in its inquiry into a suspected large-scale organized crime syndicate involving Chinese nationals conniving with Philippine officials.

In a joint statement, Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers and Laguna Rep. Dan Fernandez said Yang’s arrest was critical in exposing the criminal network hiding behind Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos).

“For too long, these individuals have operated with impunity, using corporate fronts to conceal their illegal operations. This arrest strengthens our commitment to pursuing justice and holding everyone involved in these syndicates accountable, no matter how well-connected they may be,” Barbers said.

READ: Michael Yang’s eldest brother nabbed at Naia — Rep. Fernandez

‘Undesirability’ 

Yang, a 54-year-old Chinese national, was apprehended on Thursday night at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), with assistance from the Bureau of Immigration (BI) and the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

The BI said Yang faces a deportation case for “undesirability and misrepresentation” after allegedly pretending to be a Filipino and “falsifying information” regarding the Securities and Exchange Commission certification of Philippine Sanjia Corp., a steel company he had set up in Cagayan de Oro City.

READ: Rodrigo Duterte’s adviser Yang to be invited to House drug probe

READ: Michael Yang cited for contempt, ordered arrested by House panel

Other charges

According to the BI, he would also be charged with violation of the Social Security Act and the Universal Healthcare Act for the nonremittance of social security, PhilHealth and Pag-ibig contributions of Filipino employees of Sanjia.

Sanjia has been under scrutiny for its ties to alleged illegal activities. He is suspected of smuggling drugs and facilitating Pogos in Cagayan de Oro City, as well as in Bamban, Tarlac, and Porac, Pampanga, according to Fernandez, citing documents GIS of SEC and pdeareports and paocc.

Fernandez said the quad committee “expect(s) him to cooperate and provide valuable testimony that will help us uncover the intricate web of criminal operations operating under the radar.”

During the megapanel’s sixth hearing last Thursday, Fernandez also highlighted Tony Yang’s connection to dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo as a business associate suspected of facilitating financial transactions for these illegal operations.

Yang is also the elder brother of Michael Yang, whose real name is Yang Hong Ming, a Davao-based businessman and friend of former President Rodrigo Duterte who served briefly as his economic adviser.

Pampanga ‘shabu’ haul

He is being sought in connection with a P3.6-billion worth of shabu (crystal methamphetamine) seized last year in Mexico, Pampanga, from a warehouse owned by his company Empire 999 Realty Corp.

Barbers said Yang’s capture “strengthens the case” against his brother.

“We will not stop until we uncover the full scope of their involvement in illegal activities,” he added.

The younger Yang is the subject of an arrest order issued by the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs after being cited in contempt for repeatedly failing to appear before the panel.

Yang’s Chinese name is Yang Jian Xin and he also uses Antonio Lim as his business name in the Philippines, according to Undersecretary Gilberto Cruz, PAOCC executive director,

PAOCC spokesperson Winston Casio told reporters that Yang was carrying P1.4 million worth of foreign currencies when he was arrested at Naia.

About to exit PH

In a radio interview on Friday, Cruz said that Yang was about to leave the country when he was arrested. He did not say where Yang was headed.

According to him, Yang was also carrying his Chinese passport when he was arrested.

“Actually, every time he leaves, he brings his Chinese passport with him. That’s why I think he has intention to leave. We don’t know if he was about to escape,” Cruz said.

Yang was placed under the radar of the PAOCC after Pogo operations were established in Cagayan de Oro, according to Cruz.

The Pogo hubs in Bamban town in Tarlac and in Porac, Pampanga, were constructed in 2018, the same year Sanjia was set up.