PDEA says Michael Yang in their record not from Davao, but Pangasinan

March 27, 2019

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency ( PDEA) did not deny receiving the intelligence report of dismissed police officer Eduardo Acierto but based on their documents, there is no Michael Yang living in Davao City in their list but someone who resides in Pangasinan.

“When we received information that read by former Police Colonel Eduardo Acierto, Director General Aaron Aquino immediately send it to Malacanang,” PDEA spokesperson Derrick Carreon said in a press briefing Wednesday.

Acierto on Monday claimed that Yang, a special economic adviser of President Rodrigo Duterte, has links with illegal drugs. The government denied this charge and added Yang remained in that post until December 2018.

Upon receiving the information, Carreon said they checked through their National Drug Information System (NDIS) and found a same name, Michael Yang in Region 1.

“We looked into our national drug information system of which there is a surname of the presidential adviser you are saying. It was traced to information in Region 1, he’s from Pangasinan so we asked Regional Office 1 to validated this further… looking into it, this person based in Pangasinan was not found connected with the one presidential adviser you are saying,” Carreon said.

“So it’s not conclusive, the intelligence (report) mentioned by Acierto,” he said.

Carreon added that upon reviewing the case operation plan which is an intelligence project with code name “crystal gold”, Michael Yang was not in the list.

“Back in the day which was a joint PDEA and Philippine National Police operation, when we look on the target personalities on the ‘Operation Plan Crystal Gold’, there is no Mr. Yang there,'' said Carreon

Meaning, it looks like it’s not true what Acierto is saying that the presidential adviser is included as their targets because it’s not in the documents,” he said.

If Yang had been in the document or part of the intelligence project, Carreon said he should have been arrested and charged.

“Because in that clandestine laboratory that was dismantled back in the day in Davao, everyone were arrested. In fact, some were killed,” he said.

In a TV interview, PDEA Director General Aaron Aquino did not deny receiving the intelligence report of Acierto.

What Aquino debunked is the claim of Acierto they ignored his report, saying he was informed that it reached the executive department.

“I won't deny that the report of (former) Colonel Acierto reached (my office) sometime I think August 2018 and we talked about it when he gave it to me. It's about the operations in Davao city and Cagayan de Oro linking Michael Yang and Acierto asked me if I can send it to the Palace. So I did, I went to the Palace and I was able to talk to Secretary Bong Go and I summarize what he said,” he explained.

“In fact, Colonel Acierto was informed that I forward (the report) in the Palace,” he said.

Aquno said Go was shocked and told him they will investigate.

He said their agency validated the report and found an alleged drug pusher with the same name on 2004.

“It's so long, 2004. It was said that he is allegedly drug pusher but the one mentioned by Acierto is a drug lord,” said Aquino.

“When we went to the ground but there is no Michael there anymore. Someone is renting in the area he rented. So as of now we are trying to check if who is this Michael Yang and even we are asking for a picture as his name is a common name for Chinese,” he added.

Aquino said they will still investigate Yang. Ella Dionisio/DMS