Businessman Tony Yang, also identified as Yang Jian Xin and Antonio Lim, can speak Tagalog and Bisaya, the spokesperson of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) said Thursday.
PAOCC spokesperson Dr. Winston Casio confirmed Yang can speak “good Tagalog and a little bit of Bisaya” when asked about a supposed video of Yang speaking to authorities in Tagalog when he was arrested last week in Manila.
“Marunong po talaga siya. Hindi lang kasing tatas nung pag Pilipino, pero talagang marunong siyang mag-Tagalog at saka nakakaintindi. At maging ng Bisaya, marunong din nang kaunti,” Casio told Super Radyo dzBB.
(He knows how. Although not as fluent as Filipinos, he truly knows how to speak Tagalog and understands it. He also knows a little Bisaya.)
During a recent Senate hearing, an interpreter was present for Yang, the eldest brother of former presidential economic adviser Michael Yang.
When asked if he still could not speak in Filipino despite staying in the country for around 26 years, Yang said, “Tagalog, Bisaya, onti onti.”
At the same hearing, Yang admitted that he is a Chinese citizen who was born in China. He said his grandfather helped him to get a birth certificate and did this for “convenience for business” in the Philippines.
According to Casio, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) has legal custody over Yang while PAOCC has physical custody over him.
Casio stressed that foreigners charged with immigration violations may be held indefinitely in the country’s facilities.
The BI said that Yang has a pending deportation case for misrepresentation and undesirability before the bureau.
Meanwhile, the Department of Justice has said that the government is eyeing to file complaints against Yang for falsification and use of illegal alias.
Casio said authorities will also look into Yang’s alleged links to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO).
“Up until late last year, aktibo po ‘yung tinatawag nating Oro One Technology, ‘yan po ‘yung kanilang customer service provider under Xionwei Technology. So talaga pong magpo-POGO po ito,” Casio said.
(Up until late last year, what we called Oro One Technology, their customer service provider under Xionwei Technology, was still active. So they are really involved in POGOs.)
“Merong link ang pamilyang Yang sa mga POGO operations,” he added.
(The Yang family has links to POGO operations.)
Yang was named as the as the president of Oro One, a firm that is a service provider of a POGO hub linked to a Pharmally executive.—AOL, GMA Integrated News
Be the first to comment