Sen Hontiveros accuses Tony Yang's family of crime syndicate ties

Senator Risa Hontiveros accused the family of former presidential economic adviser Michael Yang of being part of a 'massive crime syndicate' following Tony Yang's arrest on September 19.

During a Senate hearing, Tony Yang admitted to obtaining fraudulent Philippine government documents to establish local businesses and claimed he arrived in the Philippines around 1998 or 1999 with assistance from his maternal grandfather.

Yang confirmed that he is a Chinese national born in Jin Jiang, Fukien province, and senators questioned the authenticity of multiple official documents bearing different names like Yang Jian Xin, Antonio Maestrado Lim, and Tony Yang.

Senators expressed concern over how these false Philippine documents allowed Yang to operate businesses and potentially engage in illicit activities for nearly a quarter-century.

Yang denied having any current POGO business or being an officer of OroOne Corp., despite documentation indicating otherwise, leading senators to doubt his claims.