By Ferdinand Patinio
MANILA – The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Wednesday said it has arrested a Chinese man in Cagayan de Oro City who has possible links to Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) and Tony Yang, a known POGO figure.
In a statement, BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado identified the Chinese suspect as Xu Shiyan, who was arrested on May 21 for allegedly posing as a Filipino.
Citing Melody Penelope Gonzales, head of the BI’s Mindanao Intelligence Task Group (MITG), Viado said Xu is an incorporator of Philippine Sanjia-Steel Corporation (Phil-Sanjia), a company that was investigated for alleged POGO links.
The BI said among the incorporators of Phil-Sanjia is Antonio Lim, the alleged alias of Tony Yang, who was previously investigated by both the Senate and the House of Representatives for his involvement in POGO operations in the Philippines.
Tony, the elder brother of the Duterte administration’s economic adviser Michael Yang, was arrested by the BI in 2024 also for allegedly misrepresenting himself as a Filipino.
“The Bureau is fully committed to supporting the President’s campaign to rid the country of criminal elements linked to illegal POGOs,” Viado said.
Seized from Xu were numerous Philippine documents including birth certificate, PhilSys slips, SSS forms, UMID forms, Postal ID, TIN ID, driver’s license, and a Commission on Elections registration slip, all bearing his details.
“We will not allow foreign nationals to abuse our systems, falsify their identities, and use Philippine documents to cover their tracks,” Viado said.
Xu’s arrest was done in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to intensify the crackdown on illegal offshore gaming operations and foreign nationals engaged in criminal activity. (PNA)
