Former China 'spy' She Zhijiang has info on one Yang brother — Hontiveros

Senator Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday said it was important for the Senate to speak with self-proclaimed Chinese spy She Zhijiang as he allegedly has information on one of the Yang brothers, which she added may indicate that he is a foreign agent.

"I have persuasive information that the file of at least one Yang brother is with She, confirming that Yang brother as a foreign agent," Hontiveros said during the resumption of the hearing of the Senate committee hearing.

The senator may be referring to former economic adviser Michael Yang, Tony Yang, and Hongjiang Yang, who are also being linked to illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO).

During the hearing, Tony Yang denied knowing She Zhijiang.

Hontiveros showed an article from the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) that stated that “another brother” shared the title of honorary president of the President of the Philippine Chinese Youth Chamber of Commerce with She Lunkai.

“Ayon sa OCCRP paper na ito, kapatid daw ito ni Michael Yang. So it’s either kayo po or si Hongjiang Yang. At ito si She Lunkai ay isang alias ni She Zhijiang,” Hontiveros said. 

Tony Yang replied, “I don’t know [She Zhijiang].” 

He also denied knowing She Lunkai or that he was an honorary president of the Philippine Chinese Youth Chamber of Commerce.

“No, I’m not the honorary president of the Youth Chamber of Commerce,” Yang said as translated during the hearing.

Meanwhile, Tony Yang said that he was not aware if his brother, Hongjiang, was an honorary president. 

Hontiveros stressed that the information that She could provide may be beneficial not only for the legislature, but also for the executive.

"Mukhang 'yung buong gobyerno natin, hindi lang kami sa legislature, kayo po sa executive may makukuhang importanteng impormasyon para sa proteksyon ng ating gobyerno laban sa ganitong mga foreign covert operations," she said.

(It appears that the entire government, not just us in the legislature, but also you in the executive branch, may get crucial information for the protection of our government against these kinds of foreign covert operations.)

Sought for comment, lawyer Raymond Fortun, the legal counsel of Michael Yang and Tony Yang, said there was "no need to comment on unconfirmed information."

At an earlier part of the hearing, lawyer Amer Tago, the acting director of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Office of Treaties and Legal Affairs, said the Senate's request to interview She may be coursed through the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters.

Tago said the DFA would coordinate with the Philippine Embassy in Bangkok.

Similarly, the DOJ said it would execute all efforts to get the cooperation of the witness.

She was featured in a documentary of international news channel Al Jazeera, where he claimed that both he and dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo dedicated their lives to China's ministry of state security.

Guo, for her part, has denied knowing or having any connection with She.

Her camp also said that it was looking into the possible filing of a case against Al Jazeera for the "malicious insinuation."

Guo is facing a qualified human trafficking case before a Pasig court and a graft case before a Valenzuela court.

She is also facing a tax evasion complaint, 87 counts for money laundering, and a perjury and falsification complaint before the Justice Department. — VDV, GMA Integrated News