Manila: The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) revealed an intricate network of criminal activities involving Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), drug syndicates, and corporate fraud during a recent public hearing by the House of Representatives quad committee. PDEA Deputy Director General Renato Gumban presented a detailed matrix illustrating how transnational syndicates exploit legal loopholes and corporate structures to facilitate illicit activities such as drug trafficking, money laundering, and questionable land deals involving foreign nationals.
According to Philippines News Agency, the investigation was initiated following a joint operation on September 24, 2023, which resulted in the seizure of 560 kilograms of shabu valued at PHP3.6 billion in Mexico, Pampanga. The operation, conducted by PDEA in collaboration with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Bureau of Customs (BOC), and the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA), uncovered the drugs in a warehouse owned by
Willie Ong, also known as Cai Qimeng. Ong, an incorporator of Empire 999 Realty, Inc., reportedly acquired the land for the warehouse with the alleged assistance of dismissed Mexico Mayor Teddy Tumang.
Further investigation revealed that Ong and Empire 999 Realty were part of a larger network of interconnected companies involved in illicit activities. These companies included Golden Sun 999 Realty and Development Corp. and Yatai Industrial Park, Inc., both linked to Ong and another incorporator, Aedy Yang. Additionally, Golden Sun 999 is connected to Rose Nono Lin, a businesswoman associated with the controversial Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp.
Pharmally secured PHP11 billion in government contracts during the Covid-19 pandemic, despite declaring a capital of only PHP625,000. Lin’s corporate ties extended to Michael Yang, a former adviser to former president Rodrigo Duterte, and her husband, Allan Lim, also known as Lin Weixiong. Lim was implicated in drug operations and casino junket schemes and was named
in a 2017 drug matrix by former police Col. Eduardo Acierto, linking him to clandestine drug laboratories in Luzon and Mindanao. Michael Yang was also implicated for allegedly handling logistics and financial operations for drug syndicates.
PDEA’s presentation highlighted a direct connection between POGOs and criminal syndicates. Investigators identified Hongsheng Gaming Technology, Inc., a POGO operator in Bamban, Tarlac, as a significant player. The company, funded by billions from suspicious sources, including Hong Jiang Yang, a sibling of Michael Yang, faced a raid in March 2024, leading to further investigations into its financial dealings. Hongsheng Gaming leased facilities from Baufu Land Development, Inc., owned by former Bamban mayor Alice Guo. Financial investigations by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) revealed that Guo funneled illicit funds through entities like QJJ Farm and RMCE Metal Products Trading Co., previously linked to money laundering activities by convicted Chinese drug lord P
eter Co, also known as Wu Tuan Yuan, despite his incarceration in Sablayan Penal Farm.
Batangas 2nd District Rep. Gerville Luistro described the revelations as both enlightening and deeply troubling. Luistro emphasized the complexity of schemes linking POGOs, drug syndicates, and questionable land acquisitions, stating, “The volume of corporate layering along with the corporate personalities are truly overwhelming, Mr. Chair.”
