Photo credit: Senate PH

In a recent visit to Cagayan de Oro City, Senator Risa Hontiveros took a strong stand against the criminal activities linked to the Yang family, especially following the arrest of Tony Yang, Michael Yang's older brother. Hontiveros emphasized that this arrest sheds light on the family's deep connections to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) and Chinese criminal syndicates.

“Bisto na sila, 'wag na silang mag-deny,” Hontiveros remarked, underscoring that Tony Yang's wanted status in China for financial scamming makes it clearer than ever that the Yang family’s operations have victimized countless individuals. She believes the evidence points to a sprawling crime syndicate that has been active in the country for far too long.

During her statements, Hontiveros highlighted the troubling connections between the Yang brothers and various POGOs. For instance, she pointed out that Hongjiang Yang had direct dealings with Baofu Land Development, Inc., which has been associated with POGOs that operated under dismissed Mayor Alice Guo.

Hontiveros further linked these findings to the notorious Pharmally scam, saying, “These links take us beyond POGOs and back to the multi-billion peso Pharmally scam.” She elaborated on how Hongjiang Yang is not only involved with the Philippine Fullwin Group of Companies, where Michael Yang serves as president, but also shares ties with Pharmally Biological, where Michael holds shares.

The senator noted that the similarities in the corporate strategies used by the Yang brothers to mask their illegal activities cannot be mere coincidences. “Malabong nagkataon lang na pare-pareho ang ginagawa nitong magkakapatid na Yang,” she asserted, indicating that their methods of corporate layering are part of a larger scheme to evade justice.