THE chair of the powerful House Committee on Dangerous Drugs said that the panel has no other recourse but to issue warrants of arrest for Michael Yang and others if they refuse to attend congressional hearings in connection with the seized P3.6 billion worth of shabu in a warehouse in Mexico, Pampanga.
Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Acer Barbers said if Yang, a former adviser of ex-President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, and his other associates implicated in the ownership of the warehouse where the drugs were seized still fail to heed the committee’s invitations, then the panel can issue show-cause orders first then warrants of arrest.
“Kapag hindi sila umattend, isa lang ang mangyayari. We will issue a show-cause order and if they refuse and ignore the show-cause order, we have no other recourse but to issue a warrant against them,” Barbers said during the daily press briefing of the House of Representatives Tuesday.
“Yung iba kasing naimbitahan namin, limang beses na namin inimbitahan at ngayon ay sila ay subject of arrest. And hopefully, ‘yung ating PNP, PDEA at yung NBI, madala sila bukas sa aming hearing, which will make it more exciting,” he added.
But Yang and his other associates such as Lincoln Ong, they were invited to the hearing just a several days ago.
“Pero yung mga bago naming inimbita, ngayon hopefully sila ay mag-appear. Hindi pa naman namin sila inaakusahan. Ang aming panawagan sa kanila ay pumunta sila, mag-attend sila ng hearing, magbigay linaw doon sa issue na kung saan kinasasangkutan ng kanilang kumpanya o kinasasangkutan nila dun sa usapin ng droga,” Barbers explained.
“Wala pa kaming inaakusahan. At kapag hindi sila umattend, siguro mayroong maco-conclude yung ating mga kasamahan. Meron tayong kasabihan, ‘flight is indicative of guilt.’ Pagka ganun, baka magiba yung committee report at baka doon patungo ‘yung aming susulatin na committee report,” he further noted.
Yang, said to be a close friend of Duterte, was invited to the hearing by the panel when his name cropped up for being a suspected drug trafficker. He has also been linked to the P8-billion Pharmally Pharmaceutical scandal involving the procurement of medical supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Barbers’ panel found out that Ong, who is Yang’s interpreter, is an incorporator of Empire 999 that owns the warehouse where the P3.6 billion worth of shabu was seized.
“In-invite namin si Mr. Yang upon the motion of Congressman Dan Fernandez at Congressman Caraps Paduano, dahil sa rason na may mga na-discover kami na mga kumpanya na nirehistro na kasama dito yung mga incorporators nung Empire 999,” Barbers said.
“Ang aming theory ay nagkakaroon ng mga shell companies na ino-organize and they intertwine. Ibig sabihin, yung incorporator sa company A ganun din yung incorporator sa B, sa C, sa D, sa E, hanggang sa nakita natin na mayroong pattern,” he added.
“Dahil dito sa pagtatanong ng ating mga kasamahan sa komite, nanawagan na magkaroon ng imbitasyon doon sa mga mga incorporators ng mga kumpanyang ito, kasama diyan si Mr. Lincoln Ong and si Mr.
Michael Yang,” Barbers added.
