Gov’t to forfeit 320 properties price billions from drug lords

Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers

MANILA, Philipppines — The federal government is ready to forfeit billions of pesos price of lands from suspected Chinese language drug lord Willie Ong and his associates.

Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers mentioned the Land Registration Authority (LRA) and the Workplace of the Solicitor Basic (OSG) will file forfeiture proceedings in opposition to Ong, his actual property agency Empire 999, and his companions.

“They personal 55% of Empire 999 Realty Company, which is in direct violation of the constitutional limitation of the 60-40 fairness,” Barbers mentioned.

Barbers mentioned that the LRA and OSG dedicated to this motion throughout Wednesday’s Home Harmful Medication Committee listening to. The committee discovered that Ong and his associates, who did not attend the listening to, had been probably Chinese language nationals posing as Filipinos.

“Since Willie Ong and firm usually are not Filipinos, their Philippine passports should be instantly canceled by the Division of International Affairs whereas Empire 999 Realty Company’s SEC registration be revoked and the company dissolved,” Barbers added.

Ong, proprietor of the SEC-registered Empire 999 Realty Company and a warehouse in Mexico, Pampanga, the place 530 kilos of shabu price P3.6 billion had been seized in September final 12 months, has repeatedly ignored summons to seem earlier than the Home probe.

Barbers mentioned the LRA and OSG’s actions intention to stop Ong and his associates from promoting or transferring their illegally obtained belongings.

Ong, whose Chinese language title is Cai Qimeng, is believed to have fled the nation in October 2023 utilizing his Chinese language passport. Authorities have been unable to determine the whereabouts of Ong’s associates, recognized as Aedi Tai Yang, Jack Tai Yang, Michelle Santos Sy, and Elaine Chua, amongst others.

Atty. Salvalente Elizalde, chief of the LRA Authorized Division, mentioned in the course of the listening to that the LRA would endorse an adversarial declare to the OSG for courtroom submitting to forfeit Ong and his associates’ properties.

“Kailangang could kaso sa courtroom. Nonetheless, we commit proper now that we’ll monitor the properties,” Elizalde mentioned in the course of the listening to attended by Antipolo Metropolis Rep. Romeo Acop, Laguna Rep. Dan Fernandez, and Abang-Lingkod party-list Rep. Joseph Paduano, amongst others.

Barbers emphasised the necessity to inform the general public about these questionable properties and to guard potential patrons. He additionally confused the significance of investigating how these properties had been bought, whether or not via money, banks, or laundered cash from unlawful actions.

If Ong and his associates acquired public lands, a reversion continuing might be initiated by the LRA and OSG to revert the land to public area. That is the right treatment when public land is fraudulently awarded to personal people or firms.

Primarily based on up to date LRA knowledge, Empire 999 has acquired 41 titled land holdings; Ong with 59; Aedi Tai Yang with 11; Jack Tai Yang with 15; Michelle Santos Sy with 72; Elaine Chua with 75; Albert Valdez Sy with 22; Na Wang with 1; Ana Ong with 10; Ana Ang with 5; Cai Quimeng, the Chinese language title of Willie Ong, with 6; and James Valdez with 3.

Ong, Empire 999, and their associates have vital land acquisitions in Mexico, San Fernando, and Angeles Metropolis in Pampanga; Nueva Ecija, Cabanatuan Metropolis, Aurora Province, Bulacan, Cavite Metropolis, Tagaytay Metropolis, Iloilo Metropolis, Lingayen, Pangasinan, Mandaue Metropolis, Lapu-lapu Metropolis, Valenzuela Metropolis, Quezon Metropolis, Rizal, Muntinlupa Metropolis, Taguig Metropolis, Makati Metropolis, Malabon, Parañaque Metropolis, Manila Metropolis, Davao del Norte, Isulan, Sultan Kudarat, and Tabuk, Kalinga, Apayao.

All had been linked to interlocking firms created by one other suspected Chinese language drug lord, Michael Yang, who was appointed by former president Rodrigo Duterte as a presidential financial adviser.

Yang, who was summoned however failed to seem on the listening to, was recognized by former anti-drug regulation enforcement officer Col. Eduardo Acierto and whistleblower Arturo Lascañas as a drug kingpin primarily based in Davao Metropolis.