Gov’t Plans To Confiscate 320 Properties Valued in Billions Linked To Chinese Narcotics Kingpins
CHINESE – The Philippine government moves to confiscate 320 properties valued in billions linked to Chinese drug lords.
The government plans to seize land holdings valued at billions of pesos allegedly belonging to Willie Ong, a suspected Chinese drug lord, and his companions. Representative Robert Ace Barbers of Surigao del Norte disclosed that the Land Registration Authority (LRA) and the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) will initiate legal actions to reclaim these assets from Ong, his company Empire 999, and their associates.
“They own 55% of Empire 999 Realty Corporation, which is in direct violation of the constitutional limitation of the 60-40 equity,” Barbers said.
Based on a report from Inquirer, Robert Ace Barbers stated that during Wednesday’s session of the House Dangerous Drugs Committee, both the LRA and OSG affirmed their commitment to pursue this course of action. The committee concluded that Ong and his associates, absent from the hearing, were probably Chinese citizens masquerading as Filipinos.
“Since Willie Ong and company are not Filipinos, their Philippine passports must be immediately canceled by the Department of Foreign Affairs while Empire 999 Realty Corporation’s SEC registration be revoked and the corporation dissolved,” Barbers added.
Ong, the proprietor of Empire 999 Realty Corporation, duly registered with the SEC, and the owner of a warehouse in Mexico, Pampanga, where authorities seized 530 kilos of shabu valued at P3.6 billion in September last year, has persistently disregarded summonses to attend the House investigation.
Barbers stated that the actions of the LRA and OSG are aimed at preventing Ong and his companions from disposing of or transferring their unlawfully acquired assets.
Ong, known by his Chinese name Cai Qimeng, is suspected to have left the country in October 2023 using his Chinese passport. The authorities have been unable to locate Ong’s associates, including Aedi Tai Yang, Jack Tai Yang, Michelle Santos Sy, and Elaine Chua, among others.
During the hearing, Atty. Salvalente Elizalde, head of the LRA Legal Division, mentioned that the LRA would refer an adverse claim to the OSG for court action to forfeit the properties of Ong and his associates.
Elizalde, speaking at the hearing attended by Antipolo City Rep. Romeo Acop, Laguna Rep. Dan Fernandez, and Abang-Lingkod party-list Rep. Joseph Paduano, among others, asserted the necessity of legal action in court. However, he also assured that they are committed to overseeing the properties. Barbers stressed the importance of informing the public about these suspicious properties and safeguarding potential buyers.
He underscored the need to investigate the means through which these properties were obtained, whether by cash transactions, banking channels, or the funneling of illicit funds. If Ong and his associates indeed acquired public lands, the Land Registration Authority (LRA) and the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) could initiate reversion proceedings to return the land to public ownership. This is the appropriate recourse when public land is unlawfully transferred to private individuals or entities.
According to updated LRA records, various individuals and entities, including Empire 999, Ong, Aedi Tai Yang, Jack Tai Yang, Michelle Santos Sy, Elaine Chua, Albert Valdez Sy, Na Wang, Ana Ong, Ana Ang, Cai Quimeng (the Chinese name of Willie Ong), and James Valdez, have amassed considerable land holdings.
These acquisitions span multiple locations across the Philippines, including Mexico, San Fernando, and Angeles City in Pampanga; Nueva Ecija, Cabanatuan City, Aurora Province, Bulacan, Cavite City, Tagaytay City, Iloilo City, Lingayen, Pangasinan, Mandaue City, Lapu-lapu City, Valenzuela City, Quezon City, Rizal, Muntinlupa City, Taguig City, Makati City, Malabon, Parañaque City, Manila City, Davao del Norte, Isulan, Sultan Kudarat, and Tabuk, Kalinga, Apayao. These acquisitions have been associated with a network of interconnected companies allegedly linked to another suspected Chinese drug lord, Michael Yang, who was appointed as a presidential economic adviser by former president Rodrigo Duterte.
According to the report, despite being summoned, Yang failed to appear at the hearing. Former anti-drug law enforcement officer Col. Eduardo Acierto and whistleblower Arturo Lascañas identified Yang as a drug kingpin based in Davao City.
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