House of Representatives (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN)

The House quad-committee (quad-comm) has uncovered a trail of corruption where government officials allegedly facilitated illegal land acquisitions and enabled drug trafficking activities by foreign nationals.

At the center of this was Empire 999 Realty Inc., a company owned by Chinese nationals Aedy T. Yang and Willie Ong that allegedly exploited its connections to local officials in order to acquire vast landholdings and expand its illicit operations. 

Empire 999 owned the warehouse in Mexico, Pampanga, where authorities seized in 2023 a P3.6-billion "shabu" shipment that further linked the company to drug syndicates.

During the committee’s 12th hearing on Wednesday, Batangas 2nd district Rep. Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro presented evidence against dismissed Mexico, Pampanga mayor Teddy Tumang, and.accused him of knowingly supporting Empire 999’s illegal acquisition of nine land titles beginning in 2016.

“Mayor Tumang knowingly supported the illegal acquisition of land by Aedy T. Yang and Willie Ong under Empire 999 in Mexico, Pampanga,” Luistro said.

Tumang claimed he only met Yang and Ong when they visited him at the Municipal Hall, but quad-comm co-chairman Abang Lingkod Party-list Rep. Joseph Stephen “Caraps” Paduano accused the former mayor of lying. The committee later cited Tumang for contempt and ordered his detention within the House of Representatives

Luistro pointed out that Tumang was already acquainted with the two Chinese nationals before his 2017 trip to Fujian, China, with Yang, and was aware of Yang’s suspicious activities and foreign nationality.

The committee discovered that nine land titles in Mexico, Pampanga, were transferred to Empire 999 under suspicious circumstances. These include one previously owned by Tumang’s brother, Architect Alex Tumang.

“Lahat po ng transfer ng tax declaration, at the very least, ay nalalaman ng mayor or the local chief executive,” she noted.

(All of the transfers of tax declaration, at the very least, are known to the mayor or the local chief executive.)

In his opening remarks, quad-comm overall chairman Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers raised the risks to national security that this corruption entailed. 

"We have also seen how the money flow from this drug trade is being used to acquire landholdings, influence, and corrupt government officials and employees who conspire with the drug traders in offering protection and fake identities, that undermine the security of our country,” Barbers said.

The committee connected Empire 999’s land acquisitions to violations of the Dangerous Drugs Act. 

A shabu shipment found in its warehouse on Sept. 24, 2023, raised concerns about proceeds from drug trafficking being funneled into real estate and other ventures to launder money.

“At least we can consider [Mayor Tumang] a person of interest with respect to the violation of the Dangerous Drugs Act,” Luistro stressed.

Meanwhile, Luistro called out the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) for its perceived passivity in addressing the violations linked to Empire 999. 

She pointed out that the company misrepresented itself as a Filipino corporation to acquire properties reserved exclusively for Filipino nationals, potentially breaching the Securities Regulation Code (SRC), the Philippine Corporation Code, and RA 9160.

“They misrepresented themselves as Chinese nationals to make it appear that Empire 999 is a Filipino corporation, enabling them to acquire real properties exclusively for Filipino nationals,” Luistro said. 

She argued that such actions fall under AMLC’s jurisdiction due to their parallels with felonies punishable under international laws.

Despite AMLC representative Adrian Arpon clarifying that the violations pertain to the Corporation Code rather than the SRC, Luistro insisted that the illegal incorporation and its subsequent activities tied to investments fall under the Securities and Exchange Commission.

“It entails violations not only of the Philippine Corporation Code but also the Securities Regulation Code,” she asserted.

Luistro criticized AMLC’s reluctance to fully enforce its mandate. “I do not understand why AMLC, instead of finding ways to use this beautiful and responsive law, is rejecting the possibility of using it to secure the assets of these persons of interest,” 

Barbers echoed her sentiments and urged AMLC to enhance its cooperation with the committee.