House panel slams PDEA for including Go in drug matrix without verifying

Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go (Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau)

MANILA, Philippines — Members of the House of Representatives’ quad committee on Wednesday scolded the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) for releasing a drug matrix that includes Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, when he has no direct links to the illegal drug trade or the Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos).

During the panel’s hearing, PDEA Assistant Secretary Renato Gumban presented a matrix linking allies of former President Rodrigo Duterte and people accused of involvement in the illegal drug trade, particularly Go, who is Duterte’s former special assistant, and Michael Yang, Duterte’s former presidential economic adviser.

The matrix also shows that Go is a close friend of Allan Lin or Lin Weixiong, husband of Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation incorporator Rose Nono Lin.

READ: PDEA matrix ties Duterte allies to people allegedly involved in drug trade

However, when ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro clarified what Go and businessman Michael Yang’s involvement was, Gumban said PDEA only verified Allan Lin’s links to the drug trade.

“Are you saying that Michael Yang [and] Allan Lin are close, and they are involved in illegal drugs? Do you say, categorically, that they are involved in illegal drugs?” Castro asked.

“Ma’am, Allan Lin is directly involved in illegal drugs but up to now we cannot connect Michael Yang yet in this link diagram,” Gumban replied. “What we have now is just Michael Yang and Allan Lin are the same incorporators, so we are still digging into the accounts of Michael Yang, and that is for the AMLC (Anti-Money Laundering Council) to determine.”

“So you placed an arrow between Allan Lin and Senator Bong Go … You said earlier that Allan Lin is involved in the illegal drug trade. So does this mean Senator Bong Go is also involved in drugs?” Castro asked again.

“Ma’am according to our informant, they are just close friends, so we just put it there, they are close friends. It is not specific that they are involved in drugs,” Guban explained. “We are still digging what we can have against these people, it is not yet complete, Ma’am, it is ongoing.”

Castro then asked if Go knew the activities of Lin.

“That will be answered by Senator Bong Go, Ma’am, not us yet, because we’re still investigating. We do not have concrete proof yet of what their transactions are. What we have here is just that they are close friends, according to our informant. We do not know what they are talking about … We are just guessing what they are talking,” Gumban explained.

Castro pointed out that PDEA should have completed their investigation first.

“Sorry, Asec. Gumban. Do not create a matrix that is incriminating and that would connect people with a title saying Pogo and drugs connection. Complete your investigation first,” Castro noted.

Quad committee lead presiding officer and Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers appealed to PDEA to be more circumspect in releasing such matrices.

“May I ask the PDEA that when you submit to the committee a matrix, please make sure that the information that you have gathered is enough and sufficient to be able to prove your point,” Barbers said.

“Now if personalities appear in the conduct of these proceedings … we need to substantiate that. Because it will be hard to make accusations without evidence,” he added.

Wrong matrix title?

Quad committee co-chairperson and Manila 6th District Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. questioned why PDEA even has to include Go if he is not even an incorporator of the companies linked to illegal drugs and Pogos.

Gumban said it was just meant to show Lin’s ties. Eventually, he admitted that the title of the matrix, Pogo-Illegal Drug Connections, may be wrong.

“Asec. Gumban, why do you have to include Senator Bong Go in the matrix when he is not even an incorporator? Because they’re just close friends, you have to include him? Why?” Abante asked.

“Yes sir, that is to establish that these people (like) Allan Lin, have a connection to higher-ups because of their friendship with higher people,” Gumban replied.

“My goodness, is Senator Bong Go involved in Pogo and drugs? Were you able to investigate that?” Abante asked.

“Sorry Mr. Chair, maybe the title is wrong,” Gumban admitted.

This is the first time that Go’s name popped up as a person involved in the illegal drug trade. Lin and Yang’s names were mentioned before.

When the Senate of the 18th Congress investigated the alleged overpriced pandemic supplies provided by Pharmally to the government, Lin’s past as an alleged drug suspect was brought up.

According to Pharmally secretary and treasurer Mohit Dargani, Lin was the company’s financial manager.  Lin’s wife and associates, however, denied these allegations.

READ: Dargani confirms Lin Wei Xiong’s post as Pharmally’s financial manager

In August 2024, Santa Rosa City Rep. Dan Fernandez, co-chairperson of the quad committee and head of the House committee on public order and safety, presented a matrix linking the warehouse owners to the illegal drug trade.