House panel shows cause on Yang, warrants Ong's arrest

The House committee on dangerous drugs has issued a show-cause order against former Presidential Economic Adviser Michael Yang for failing to appear at congressional hearings regarding his alleged involvement in a P3-billion drug bust last year.

Yang was invited by the committee chaired by Representative Robert Ace Barbers for questioning, with the lawmaker warning that non-appearance could lead the panel to conclude guilt and potentially alter their report negatively.

During the hearing, Yang's lawyer Raymond Fortun stated that Yang had traveled eight times since October 2023 and was currently abroad in Dubai.

The committee also ordered the arrest of Willie Ong, who owns Empire 999 Realty Corporation where illegal drugs worth over P3.6 billion were seized last year.

Ong has been a no-show in hearings since last year, prompting the panel to issue a warrant for his arrest after learning that he had never used his Philippine passport and instead traveled under an identical photo with a Chinese citizen named Cai Quimeng.