MANILA, Philippines — Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) director Wilkins Villanueva has cleared former presidential economic adviser Michael Yang of any links to the narcotics trade in the country.
Yang is among the personalities being investigated by the Senate for his alleged connection with Pharmally Corporation, a firm from which the government procured the alleged “overpriced” medical goods.
During a pre-recorded meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte aired on Tuesday (September 14), Villanueva belied the allegations of dismissed police officer Eduardo Acierto that Yang has links to the drug trade in Davao City saying such claims are baseless.
“Ano ang allegation ni Police Superintendent Acierto na si Michael Yang is involved sa clandestine laboratory ng Davao City? Nothing in all of those case operation plans [show] that Michael Yang came up doon sa part of the personalities,” he said.
“Kahit hagilapin mo sa lahat iyan, sir, walang Michael Yang dyan,” the PDEA chief told Duterte.
The president himself also defended Yang saying the Senate shouldn’t listen to Acierto — a dismissed officer that Duterte claims had been involved in so many cases.
“Ito namang Senate… if it’s drugs, let it come from the mouth of the PDEA,” said Duterte.
Acierto, who was the former officer-in-charge of the now defunct Philippine National Police Anti-Illegal Drugs Group (PNP-AIDG), claimed that Yang was among the persons behind the large shabu laboratory discovered in Davao City in 2004.
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