National Press Club denies alleged affiliation with Michael Yang

The National Press Club (NPC) of the Philippines has denied that a certain Michael Yang is connected with the organization, as claimed by former Customs intelligence officer Jimmy Guban in a joint congressional hearing.

“This is to certify that Mr. MICHAEL YANG is NOT a member of the National Press Club (NPC) nor affiliated, in anyway with, the organization,” NPC president Leonel Abasola said in a letter signed August 16, Friday.

Guban earlier testified that he had been told that a multi-billion-peso shabu shipment seized in 2018 belonged to Paolo Duterte, Mans Carpio, and former presidential economic adviser Michael Yang.

Davao City 1st District Representative Duterte said Guban’s claims should be dismissed for being baseless. Meanwhile, Yang's lawyer Atty. Raymond Fortun said the former Bureau of Customs (BuCor) official’s statements against his client were "hearsay in nature."

Vice President Sara Duterte on Saturday also described the allegations against her husband, Mans Carpio, and brother, as "political harassment."

In light of the investigation, the NPC said that its executive officers and directors have accepted the offer of former National Irrigation Administration acting administrator Benny Antiporda to take a leave of absence as the club’s vice president.

Antiporda was also among those implicated by Guban, and is now preparing “to address, point by point, the allegations made against him,” said the NPC.

“The NPC, as one of the oldest media organizations in the country, joins the quest for truth and calls for a resolution based on facts and without bias,” the organization said in a statement. —Giselle Ombay/KG, GMA Integrated News