Jed Pilapil Sy (left), former president Rodrigo Duterte (PPAB)

The last quad-committee (quad-comm) hearing of the year has seemingly produced fresh allegations linking ex-president Rodrigo Duterte and his former economic adviser Michael Yang to the illegal drug trade through an affidavit revealing the duo's ties to a 2004 raid on a clandestine drug laboratory in Dumoy, Davao City.

The raid, conducted during Duterte’s tenure as mayor, uncovered over 100 kilos of high-grade "shabu" worth P300 million. It was considered the largest drug bust of its time.

In a sworn affidavit submitted during the House quad-comm hearing Thursday, Dec. 12, Jed Pilapil Sy, wife of suspected drug lord Allan Sy and owner of the Dumoy property detailed the events that led to her husband’s mysterious disappearance and her eventual conviction.

Jed recounted a harrowing series of incidents on Dec. 31, 2004, including a confrontation with then-mayor Rodrigo Duterte.

She recalled that a visibly enraged Duterte visited her home in Davao City and demanded to know her husband’s whereabouts.

“Tinanong ko si Mayor Duterte kung bakit niya hinahanap ang asawa ko, ang sabi lang niya ‘Basta, galit na galit ako sa kanya,’” Jed recalled.

(I asked Mayor Duterte why he was looking for my husband, and he only said, "I'm really, really angry with him.)

She continued, “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.’”

(I wondered and I was surprised, and so I asked Mayor Duterte if my husband did anything bad to him. He just repeated, "I'm really, really angry with him)."

Jed said Duterte then provided her with security and warned her not to leave the house but failed to follow up on his statements.

Hours after Duterte’s visit, Jed learned from a friend that the Dumoy property was raided by authorities.

“Noong pagkabukas ko ng telebisyon, napanuod ko ang news tungkol sa Dumoy raid at may mga napaslang (When I opened the television, I heard the news on the Dumoy raid and that some people were killed)," she said.

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

Jed, her brother Jong Pilapil, and others were arrested the following day and later sentenced to life imprisonment. They have been serving sentence in a Davao prison.

While Jed claimed their conviction was based on fabricated evidence, it had already been upheld by the Supreme Court (SC).

Michael Yang

The affidavit further implicated Duterte’s close associate Yang, and linked 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 (DCLA Plaza is owned by Hong Ming and it became our display area for foam),” she said, referring to Yang by his Chinese name, Hong Ming Yang.

When shown a photo of Yang, Jed confirmed his identity, and described him as a close friend of her husband, Allan Sy.

Jed’s statements aligned with those of dismissed Police Col. 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 operated drug laboratories in Mindanao, including the Dumoy facility, since the early 2000s.

“Michael Yang, alias ‘Dragon,’ was heavily involved in manufacturing and distributing illegal drugs,” Acierto, who cited intelligence reports compiled in 2017, told lawmakers.

Acierto also claimed Yang provided shipping documents for illegal drugs recovered during a 2005 raid in Cagayan de Oro City.

Acierto said he included this information in a detailed matrix submitted to then-Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Ronald Dela Rosa, former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director Aaron Aquino, and Police Deputy Director General Camilo Cascolan.

The 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.

In October 2018, then-presoient Duterte publicly named Acierto as one of the police officials allegedly linked to the illegal drug trade.

By 2019, 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 a warehouse in Cavite.

In his previous testimony before the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs, Acierto claimed that Duterte sought to silence him by ordering his execution, allegedly due to his investigations into Yang and Lim.