P3-B Pampanga shabu bust linked to ex-president Duterte’s economic adviser

May 13, 2024 , 10:27 AM

By Bea Rollo

(May 13, 2024) — Michael Yang, an alleged drug lord and presidential economic adviser of former president Rodrigo Duterte, will be summoned to the next Committee on Dangerous Drugs hearing chaired by Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, following a P3 billion drug bust in Mexico, Pampanga last year.

The hearing will probe the connections between Yang and a warehouse owned by Empire 999 in Pampanga, where the illegal drugs were seized by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

Moreover, the Pharmally controversy, where billions in medical supply contracts were awarded during the pandemic, Lincoln Ong revealed that Michael Yang financed the acquisition of supplies abroad. Recently, the Ombudsman indicted another Pharmally executive close to Yang.

The House investigation revealed that most incorporators of these companies are Chinese nationals using fake Philippine documents. These companies have acquired real properties nationwide, posing a national security concern.

“This matter has now gone from a simple illegal drug smuggling to a national security concern. We need to establish the link between these companies and Michael Yang, the financier of Pharmally. It is not as simple as it seems. These personalities and their interests are so intertwined and intricately woven in an elaborate multi layered company structure that resembles a maze deliberately designed to avoid detection and ultimate liability in case the scheme is discovered”, Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, Chairman of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs, said.

“The activities of the other companies have not been unearthed yet but the incorporators have gone into hiding already and have started disposing [of] their assets. There is more than meets the eye. We intend to get to the bottom of this issue in order to find out if indeed the drug bust is just the tip of the iceberg”, Barbers added.

(PB)

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