THE Land Registration Authority (LRA) will collaborate with the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) for the filing of forfeiture proceedings in court against some 320 “titled” prime lot acquisitions worth billions of pesos by suspected Chinese drug lord Willie Ong, his Empire 999 real estate firm and associates located in various parts of the country.
Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barber said the LRA and OSG’s commitments were arrived at during Wednesday’s hearing by the House Dangerous Drugs Committee which found that Ong and his associates, who all failed to show up, were in all probability, Chinese nationals masquerading as Filipinos.
He said Ong and his associates who have been summoned several times but failed to appear before a House probe on Wednesday, is the owner of SEC-registered Empire 999 Realty Corporation and a warehouse in Mexico, Pampanga where 530 kilos of shabu worth P3.6 billion were delivered in September last year.
Barbers said the LRA and OSG’s move was aimed to prevent Ong and his associates from disposing, selling or transferring their illegally obtained assets to the unsuspecting public.
Ong, with a Chinese name of Cai Qimeng, is believed to have fled the country in October 2023 using his Chinese passport bearing his real identity.
The whereabouts of Ong’s Chinese associates identified as Aedi Tai Yang, Jack Tai Yang, Michelle Santos Sy, Elaine Chua, among others, could not be ascertained by authorities.
“They own 55% of Empire 999 Realty Corporation, which is in direct violation of the constitutional limitation of the 60-40 equity,” Barbers said.
“Since Willie Ong and company are not Filipinos, their Philippine passports must be immediately cancelled by the Department of Foreign Affairs while Empire 999 Realty Corporation’s SEC registration be revoked and the corporation dissolved”, Barbers added.
Atty. Salvalente Elizalde, chief of the LRA Legal Division, said during the hearing that the LRA would endorse to the OSG an endorsement for an adverse claim to be filed in court for the forfeiture of Ong and his associates’ properties.
“Kailangang may kaso sa court. However, we commit right now that we will monitor the properties,” said Elizade stated during the hearing which was also attended by Antipolo City Rep. Romeo Acop, Laguna Rep. Dan Fernandez, Abang-Lingkod Party-list Rep. Joseph Paduano, among others.
Barbers, for his part, said: “Kailangan natin na maipaalam sa publiko na kwestyonable ang mga ito at mabigyan din ng proteksyon ang sinuman na kanilang pagbebentahan nito. At dapat malaman din natin kung paano nila binili ang mga properties na ito, gaano kalalaki ang mga ito, binayaran ba nila ang mga ito ng cash, through the banks, o gumamit sila ng laundered money that are proceeds from their drug business or other illegal transactions”.
If Ong and company managed to buy public lands, a reversion proceeding could be initiated by the LRA and OSG. It is a manner through which the State seeks to revert land to the mass of public domain and is the proper remedy when public land is fraudulently awarded and disposed of in favor of private individuals or corporations.
Based on updated LRA data, the firm Empire 999 has acquired 41 titled land holdings; Ong with 59; Aedi Tai Yang with 11; Jack Tai Yang, 15; Michelle Santos Sy, 72; Elain Chua 75; Albert Valdez Sy, 22; Na Wang, 1; Ana Ong, 10; Ana Ang, 5; Cai Quimeng, the Chinese name of Willie Ong, 6; and James Valdez, 3.
Ong, his Empire 999 Realty firm, and his associates, have huge land acquisitions in Mexico, San Fernando, and Angeles City in Pampanga; Nueva Ecija, Cabanatuan City, Aurora Province, Bulacan, Cavite City, Tagaytay City, Iloilo City, Lingayen, Pangasinan, Mandaue City, Lapu-lapu City, Valenzuela City, Quezon City, Rizal, Muntinlupa City, Taguig City, Makati City, Malabon, Paranaque City, Manila, Davao del Norte, Isulan, Sultan Kudarat, and Tabuk, Kalinga, Apayao.
All were found to be linked to the various interlocking companies created by another suspected Chinese drug lord Michael Yang who was appointed by former President Rodrigo R. Duterte as presidential economic adviser during the latter’s term.
Michael Yang, who had been summoned but failed to appear during Wednesday’s hearing, had been identified by former anti-drug law enforcement officer Col. Eduardo Acierto and whistle blower Arturo Lascanas as a drug king pin based in Davao City.
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