MANILA – The government is set to file criminal charges against Chinese businessman Tony Yang, preventing his immediate deportation, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Region 10 (Northern Mindanao) is studying preliminary charges of falsification and illegal use of alias against Yang.
“Ang pinaka-convenient talaga deport e. I-drop lahat ng cases. But what can it solve? It cannot solve anything. Kailangan talaga malaman natin hanggang saan ‘yan, tsaka paparusahan talaga,” Remulla said.
He added: “It has to go with punishment para hindi na maulit. Deterrence can only be achieved with the certainty of punishment.”
Yang, who is also known for his aliases Yang Jian Xin and Antonio Lim, has admitted before a Senate committee hearing on Tuesday that he is a Chinese who was born in China.
He said his grandfather helped him to get a Philippine birth certificate and did this for “convenience for business” in the country.
Yanhg was also being linked to the illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) facility allegedly owned by dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo.
Yang was apprehended at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on September 19 by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), with assistance from the Bureau of Immigration and the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, for alleged ties to various illegal activities./PN
