By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet

In an affidavit presented to the House Quad-Committee on Thursday, fresh allegations linked former President Rodrigo Duterte and his former economic adviser Michael Yang to the illegal drug trade to a 2004 raid on a clandestine shabu laboratory in Dumoy, Davao City.

Over 100 kilos of high-grade shabu worth P300 million were recovered in the raid that was conducted during Duterte’s tenure as mayor, which was considered the largest drug bust of its time.

Jed Pilapil-Sy, wife of suspected drug lord Allan Sy and owner of the Dumoy property—later revealed as a shabu lab—detailed the events leading up to her husband’s mysterious disappearance and her eventual conviction, including a confrontation with then-Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. 

“Noong araw din na ’yon, mga bandang 9:30 ng gabi, pinuntahan ako ni Mayor Duterte at hinahanap niya ang asawa ko sa aming bahay sa Arlene apartment kung saan kami umuupa. Tinanong ko si Mayor Duterte kung bakit niya hinahanap ang asawa ko, ang sabi lang niya ‘Basta, galit na galit ako sa kanya,’” Sy recalled.

“Ako ay nagtataka at nagulat, at dahil dito tinanong ko si Mayor Duterte kung mayroon po bang kasalanan ang asawa ko sa kanya. Inulit lang ni Mayor Duterte na ‘Basta, galit na galit ako sa kanya,’” she explained further.

Duterte then provided Mrs. Sy with security and issued a warning not to leave the premises, but failed to follow up on his statements. Hours later, she learned from a friend that authorities have raided the Dumoy property. 

“Makalipas ang ilang oras, tumawag ang isa sa mga kaibigan ng asawa ko para sabihin sa ’kin na ako daw ay manood ng telebisyon dahil na-raid daw ang Dumoy at nandoon ang asawa ko at may mga namatay. Noong pagkabukas ko ng telebisyon, napanood ko ang news tungkol sa Dumoy raid at may mga napaslang,” Sy explained.

The Dumoy raid marked the last time Allan Sy was reportedly seen. Jed Sy lamented that until now, she does not know whether her husband is still alive or already dead.

Sy, her brother Jong Pilapil, and others were arrested the following day and later sentenced to life imprisonment, currently serving sentences in a Davao prison. While she claimed their conviction was based on fabricated evidence, it had already been upheld by the Supreme Court.

Michael Yang’s involvement in illicit drug trade becomes more apparent

Likewise, the affidavit further implicated Yang, linking him to the Sy family’s business dealings through his DCLA Plaza in Davao City. 

“Ang DCLA Plaza na pagmamay-ari ni Hong Ming ay naging display area namin ng foam,” Mrs. Sy said, referring to Yang by his real Chinese name, Hong Mingyang.

Her statements align with those of dismissed PCOL. Eduardo Acierto, who accused Duterte of shielding Yang and another suspected drug lord, Allan Lim, alias Lin Weixiong, from accountability during his presidency. 

Acierto testified that Yang, alias ‘Dragon’, operated drug laboratories in Mindanao, including the Dumoy facility, since the early 2000s, citing intelligence reports compiled in 2017.

The former cop also claimed Yang provided shipping documents for illegal drugs recovered during a 2005 raid in Cagayan de Oro City, noting that this information was included in a detailed matrix submitted to then-PNP chief Ronald Dela Rosa, former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Director Aaron Aquino, and then-Police Deputy Director General Camilo Cascolan. 

Said report was later forwarded to Dela Rosa’s successor, former PNP chief Oscar Albayalde. However, the report was reportedly ignored, and Acierto and his team were subsequently discredited when the findings became difficult to dispute.

The former cop also accused Dela Rosa of inaction, claiming that instead of addressing the allegations, Dela Rosa opted to meet with Allan Lim, a suspected drug lord; he stated that soon after submitting the report, he was accused of involvement in illegal drugs by then-President Duterte. 

In October 2018, Duterte publicly named Acierto as one of the police officials allegedly linked to the illegal drug trade. The following year, Acierto had gone into hiding after being implicated in the smuggling of P11 billion worth of drugs concealed in magnetic lifters found at the Manila International Container Port and in a warehouse in Cavite.

In his previous testimony before the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs, Acierto claimed that Duterte allegedly sought to silence him by ordering his execution, allegedly due to his investigations into Yang and Lim, who were known associates of then-Special Assistant to the President, now Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go. 

Ex-PDEA chief cited for contempt over 2004 drug raid testimony

At the same hearing, former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) director Wilkins Villanueva was cited in contempt by the House panel for allegedly refusing to answer questions from lawmakers inquiring into the alleged extrajudicial killings associated with former President Rodrigo Duterte’s brutal war on drugs.

Abang Lingkod Party-list Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano filed the motion after Villanueva repeatedly denied involvement in the warrantless arrest of Jed Sy, following the 2004 raid on a shabu lab in Dumoy, Davao City.

Former presidential economic adviser, Michael Yang, was also implicated in the Dumoy drug lab raid, which uncovered over 100 kilos of high-grade shabu worth P300 million—then considered the largest drug bust of its time.

However, Villanueva, who was PDEA regional director at the time, has repeatedly denied Yang’s involvement, stating that no evidence linked him to the drug lab at the time. Villanueva later became PDEA Director General during Duterte’s presidency.

In a heated discussion, Paduano expressed dissatisfaction with Villanueva’s response, bashing the former PDEA chief for lying and disrespecting the committee and eventually prompting the Abang Lingkod Party-list Representative to move for Villanueva’s contempt citation.

As a penalty, Villanueva was ordered detained at the House of Representatives detention facility until the hearings conclude. 

However, Antipolo 2nd District Rep. Romeo Acop amended the motion, stipulating that the contempt and detention order would only take effect when the Quad-Comm probe resumes on January 13 next year. (with report from Mela Lesmoras/PTV News)

-iro