MANILA, Philippines — Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said on Wednesday, September 25, that filing criminal charges against Tony Yang, also known as Yang JianXin, is preferred over pursuing his deportation, following Yang's confirmation that he is a Chinese citizen with a Philippine birth certificate.
Remulla made the statement during a press conference at the Department of Justice when asked whether Yang’s admission would lead to his deportation to China.
The Justice chief also said that faking birth certificates is a national concern and should not be treated as an isolated case.
“Ang kailangan dito, mag-file ng kaso para we can get to the bottom of it. Ang pinaka-convenient talaga ideport eh, pero we could not solve anything at all. Kailangan malaman natin kung hanggang saan tsaka maparusahan talaga,” Remulla said.
(What is needed here is to file a case so we can get to the bottom of it. The most convenient solution would be to deport him, but that wouldn’t solve anything. We need to find out how far this goes and ensure that there are real consequences.)
“It has to go with punishment para di maulit. (It has to involve punishment so that it doesn’t happen again). Deterrence can only be achieved with the certainty of punishment,” he added.
Justice Undersecretary Nicholas Ty, who attended the press conference, stated that the National Bureau of Investigation and prosecutors in Region 10 are investigating potential cases that could be brought against Yang.
“The cases being considered here include, for example, falsification and the use of an illegal alias. However, in addition to that, a more extensive investigation will be conducted,” Ty said in Filipino.
On Tuesday, September 24, Yang admitted that he fraudulently acquired Filipino citizenship in order to set up local businesses.
Although Yang was born in 1970, his birth certificate was not issued until 2004, making him 34 years old when he finally received his Philippine birth certificate.
This case is similar to the case of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo who is currently facing multiple charges due to her alleged involvement in the unlawful activities of Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO) in her municipality.
Yang, however, denied having any involvement with POGOs, despite being listed as the president of service provider OroOne Corp.
Yang was arrested at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 on the evening of September 19 while attempting to leave the Philippines.
He is the elder brother of Michael Yang, the economic adviser of former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is tagged in the Pharmally scandal.