đź“·Yang Jianxin
Michael Yang’s brother Yang Jianxin admitted on Tuesday, September 24, that he was born in China and just faked his Filipino documents to run businesses in the Philippines.
Yang made the admission during a Senate Committee hearing on Women regarding illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators as Senator Risa Hontiveros sought to link Yang to the extensive POGO network, which was purportedly used as a front for various illegal activities.
In the hearing, Hontiveros presented Jianxin’s Philippine birth certificate, which was registered late with the Philippine Statistics Authority, similar to the situation of former Bamban Mayor Alice Guo.
With the help of an interpreter at the hearing, Jianxin said that he was born in Fujian, China. He also explained that his maternal grandfather facilitated his relocation to the Philippines.
“The initial intention of my grandfather is for me to start a business here, that’s why I use English names so that I can also apply for business permits for other documentation that will be needed for the business,” Jianxin said in Chinese, translated into English by interpreter Carolyn Batay.
Although Jianxin was born in 1970, he said that his birth certificate was issued only in 2004, making him 34 years old at that time.
On his birth certificate, his name is recorded as Antonio Lim, with his birthplace noted as Misamis Oriental.
However, documents from Hontiveros’ office revealed discrepancies, showing that Jianxin’s other IDs list different birthplaces.
For instance, his Tax Identification Number (TIN) states that he was born in Cagayan de Oro.
Jianxin also admitted to speaking little to no English or Filipino despite living in the Philippines for more than 20 years now.
Yang mentioned that it was the same grandfather who persuaded him to establish a business in the Philippines, providing him with approximately P600,000 in capital. He also noted that this grandfather passed away around 10 years ago.
He also mentioned that he does not have a POGO business “at the moment” and denied being an officer of the POGO service provider OroOne Corp., even though he is listed as its president.
Yang explained that the company was leasing his property, but he was never involved in its operations.
“The reason my name was in OroOne was because during that time I rented out the place to them. It was only that time that they needed help in the permits and all, that’s why I was connected, it was the bookkeeper who reported,” Yang said.
However, Hontiveros remained unconvinced, as documents showed that he was a majority shareholder of the POGO service provider.
“You have profited from changing your name and nationality here,” Hontiveros said.
“Sir, hindi lang kayo hiningan ng tulong. Sa mga papeles na ito, kayo ang presidente, kayo ang majority shareholder ng OroOne,” she said.
Senator Joel Villanueva expressed concern over how Yang’s fraudulent Philippine documents enabled him to “wreak havoc” in the country.
“Hindi Filipino, tapos may TIN, may LTO, may ACR na iba-iba pangalan… Ni hindi makasalita ng Tagalog, Bisaya tapos dito naghahasik ng lagim sa bansa natin. Dito lang sa Senado napaka-weird na may interpreter tayo, para tayong binabalasubas dito,” Villanueva said. (TCSP)
