MANILA, Philippines (Updated 11:44 a.m) — The chief of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency said his office investigated the allegation by a dismissed police official linking President Rodrigo Duterte’s former economic adviser to the illegal narcotics trade but found another Michael Yang in its database.
PDEA Director General Aaron Aquino confirmed receiving former Senior Superintendent Eduardo Acierto's report in August 2018 but said PDEA found a different Michael Yang, who is an alleged drug pusher in Sual, Pangasinan, in its National Drug Information System.
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“I tapped the regional officer, director in Region 1 and tried to ask to conduct investigation on who is Michael Yang?” Aquino said in an interview on ANC’s “Headstart.”
He added: “The report was in 2004 pa and when we went to the ground, wala na ‘yung Michael Yang doon. Iba na ‘yung nagre-rent sa area na pinagrerentahan dati ni Michael Yang.”
(The report was in 2004 and when we went to the ground, there is no longer a certain Michael Yang. A different person was renting the area that Michael Yang used to rent.)
“‘Yung sinasabi ni [Acierto], mukhang drug lord because Acierto is trying to tell the public that he is involved in a drug laboratory that was busted in Davao City and Cagayan de Oro,” the PDEA chief said.
PDEA also looking into 'Michael Yang'
But PDEA is still looking into the matter, Aquino added.
"As of now we’re trying to check kung sino ba tong Michael Yang na ito and even we are asking for a picture kung sino bang Michael Yang ito and we know that Michael Yang is a common name for Chinese so we’re trying to continue to validate," he said.
(As of now, we're trying to check who this Michael Yang is, and we're asking for a picture of this Michael Yang. And we know that 'Michael Yang' is a common name for Chinese, so we're trying to continue to validate.)
The PDEA chief stressed that the former presidential adviser has already been cleared by the Palace and by the Chinese ambassador to the Philippines.
Over the weekend, Acierto accused Duterte and his trusted aide Christopher “Bong” Go of giving protection to Yang and another businessman, Allan Lim. Acierto once served as the officer-in-charge of the PNP Anti-Illegal Drugs Group — a unit disbanded in the wake of the kidnapping and murder of Korean businessman Jee Ick-joo in 2016.
Malacañang said that Yang is not involved in the illegal drug trade and disclosed on Tuesday that his appointment as President Rodrigo Duterte's adviser expired at the end of 2018.
“It has been clarified… Even the (Chinese) ambassador has cleared Michael Yang. In fact, he was telling me personally… I will never associate myself with one who is involved in drugs,” Panelo also said Monday.
On Tuesday, he accused the dismissed policeman of trying to discredit the chief executive and his close allies.
“Obviously, the motive is—since he has been accused of involvement in drugs, he wants to get back, that’s why he is pointing fingers at whoever,” Panelo said. — Gaea Katreena Cabico