In NAIA, Michael Yang’s brother was arrested

September 20, 2024 Philippines Crime & Legal

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) announced on Friday, September 20, that the brother of former presidential adviser Michael Yang was arrested at Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

Michael Yang, a former economic adviser to ex-President Rodrigo Duterte, has been linked to several controversies, including the Pharmally scandal during the COVID-19 pandemic and illegal activities related to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGOs).

His brother, 54-year-old Yang Jianxin, was taken into custody by the BI and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) on Thursday evening after arriving from Cagayan de Oro.

According to a BI statement on Facebook, Jianxin is facing a deportation case for undesirability and misrepresentation, accused of falsely claiming to be Filipino and providing falsified information regarding the Securities and Exchange Commission certification of his company, Phil Sanjia Corporation.

Phil Sanjia Corporation, a steel company owned by Jianxin, has faced complaints from its employees for failing to remit contributions to the Social Security System (SSS), PAG-IBIG, and PhilHealth.

As stated in a Phil Star report, Jianxin has also been known by the alias Antonio Lim, which is listed as the president of Phil Sanjia Corporation.

The BI confirmed that Jianxin is currently in the custody of the PAOCC. If found guilty, he will be deported and blacklisted, though deportation will occur only after all his cases are resolved.

Meanwhile, another of Michael Yang’s brothers, Hongjiang Yang, has been linked to former Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo, who faces multiple cases, including misrepresentation, due to her alleged connections to POGOs.

The Philippine government has recently been dealing with a surge in misrepresentation and immigration cases following Senate investigations into POGOs.

Even though Guo has a legitimate birth certificate from the Philippine Statistics Authority, the National Bureau of Investigation also discovered that her fingerprints matched those of Chinese national Guo Hua Ping.