PHILIPPINE Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director Aaron Aquino said Wednesday, March 27, that they had investigated a certain Michael Yang, but they have not established yet if it was President Rodrigo Duterte’s former economic adviser who was implicated by a dismissed police official in the illegal drug trade.
"We tried to check kung meron bang Michael Yang sa NDIS namin, and I was able to get one sa NDIS namin, sa National Drug Information System namin — it's actually a PDEA watch list, not validated list. Nakita ko roon may isang Michael Yang nakalagay 'alleged drug pusher' operating in Sual, Pangasinan. The report was in 2004," he said.
Aquino said they conducted an investigation on the said Michael Yang in Pangasinan but lost track, as he is no longer traceable after leaving his rented apartment in the area.
"Hanggang ngayon, nahihirapan kami. Kahit yung mga neighboring areas hindi makapagbigay ng tamang assessment (Until now, we have difficulty locating him. Even the neighboring areas cannot provide a correct assessment)," he said.
On Sunday, March 24, former Senior Superintendent Eduardo Acierto, who held a key position in the Philippine National Police (PNP) anti-illegal drugs group,, exposed several documents linking Yang to the illegal drug trade.
READ: Dismissed cop tags 2 Chinese nationals close to Duterte as drug lords
Acierto, who was ordered dismissed by the Office of the Ombudsman over the missing AK-47 assault rifles that allegedly ended in the hands of communist rebels, was among the police officials included in Duterte’s drugs watchlist.
On Monday, March 25, he also released a drug matrix identifying Yang as the facilitator of the illegal entry of illegal drugs into the country through the help of some corrupt officials of the Bureau of Customs.
Based on the drug matrix, Yang is a member of Johnson Chua drug group led by a certain Johnson Co, who was from mainland China.
Acierto said Yang is receiving P50,000 from each kilogram of shabu they will successfully smuggle into the country.
He said it was among the documents he submitted to former PNP chief Ronald dela Rosa, Aquino, and Police Deputy Director General Camilo Cascolan.
He said copies of the report were also sent to PNP Chief Oscar Albayalde, Senator Richard Gordon, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, and former special assistant to the president Christopher “Bong” Go, hoping that it will reach Duterte to serve as warning.
"It's about the operations in Davao City and Cagayan de Oro allegedly linking Michael Yang. Ang sabi niya (Acierto) sa akin, 'Sir, puwede bang ipaabot mo 'yan sa Palasyo?' So I did that. Pumunta ako sa Palasyo," Aquino said.
He added that he relayed Acierto’s message to Go and he believed that it was received by the President, as he made a statement clearing Yang from illegal drugs transaction.
In a speech on Tuesday, Duterte cleared anew Yang from Acierto’s accusations.
In another interview with Albayalde on Wednesday, he said they will continue validating Acierto’s claim despite Duterte’s statement.
“The President did not stop us or did not tell us to stop our validation. There is no harm in validating. Wala naman masama doon sa mag-validate ka to boost the statement of the President and even the ambassador of China kung talagang wala naman sila kinalaman,” he said.
“And as I have said yesterday, as of this time, wala kaming information whatsoever that Michael Yang is involved in any illegal activity particularly on illegal drugs,” he added. (SunStar Philippines)