.. 
Ni ROMEO ALLAN BUTUYAN II
MATAPOS inguso na may-ari ng bodega kung saan tumambad ang P3-bilyong halaga ng droga, target ng Kamara isalang sa imbestigasyon si dating Presidential Economic Adviser Michael Yang.
Ayon kay Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers na tumatayong chairman ng House Committee on Dangerous Drugs, padadalhan ng imbestigasyon si Yang para magbigay linaw sa paratang na nag-uugnay sa dating Presidential Economic Adviser sa operasyon kontra droga sa lungsod ng Mexico sa lalawigan ng Pampanga.
“In a series of hearings, Empire 999, the company that owns the warehouse where the drugs were ordered stored, is found to be owned by Chinese nationals who also owned other shell companies together with other personalities who have been previously linked to anomalous activities under the past administration,” paglalahad ni Barbers.
“In a painstaking investigation, the latest of which was last Wednesday, May 8, Lincoln Ong, the controversial figure in the Pharmally scandal and interpreter of Mr. Michael Yang, was found to be an incorporator of a company with links to other companies including Empire 999,” dugtong ng House panel head.
Sa power point presentation ni House Public Accounts Chairman Joseph “Caraps” Paduano, kinokonekta si Yang kay Lincoln Ong.
“It will be remembered that Pharmally cornered billions in favored contracts with the PS DBM then headed by Christopher Lao, to supply medical needs during the pandemic. Without financial capacity, Lincoln Ong revealed that the acquisition of supplies abroad was financed by Michael Yang,” sambit ni Barbers.
Sa patuloy na paggulong ng imbestigasyon ng komite na pinamumunuan ng Mindanaoan lawmaker, napag-alaman din na karamihan sa incorporators ng iba’t-ibang kumpanyang nabanggit kaugnay sa P3B drug bust sa Pampanga ay mga Chinese nationals na gumagamit ng fake Philippine documents para palabasin na sila’y mga Filipino citizens.
“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,” diin pa ni Barbers.
“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,” dagdag pa ng mambabatas.
Hindi na rin aniya nakapagtataka ang koneksyon sa drug activities ni Yang na dating nang tinukoy na sangkot sa kalakalan ng droga ng isang mataas na opisyal ng Philippine National Police (PNP).
Ayon sa naturang senior PNP official, pasok si Yang sa toplevel drug trade operations sa bansa.
“In our investigations, more names came out like Aedy Yang and Henry Yang, Elaine Chua, and a lot more Chinese who all pretended to be Filipinos but are actually Chinese nationals. Using fictitious documents and corporations, they went on buying sprees and allegedly bought hundreds and possibly thousands of hectares of agricultural and residential lands in Northern Luzon and started building warehouses. These very suspicious activities have stopped as soon as we started the investigations. So now, they again resorted to hiding these assets by “selling” them to other Chinese nationals. We promise that we will leave no stone unturned in getting to the bottom truth of this mess these Chinese nationals created here in our country,” pangako ni Barbers.
“I always say that we have no problems with Chinese nationals doing legitimate business in our country. But doing these illegal drug activities is another story. We have extended all invitations to these people and observed due process. They never showed up. Even the law NBI could not locate them. There is a saying that flight is indicative of guilt. If they are really innocent, we urge them to come out and explain their roles in the labyrinth they created,” pahabol ng ranking House official.
