Yang Jianxin, a name that has been frequently appearing on screens lately, is well-known to everyone. So, who exactly is he?
Yang Jianxin (Tony Yang, Antonio Maestrado Lim) is the elder brother of Michael Yang, the former economic advisor to Philippine President Duterte.
Born in Fujian, China in 1970, Yang Jianxin moved to Manila, Philippines around 1998.
Almost at the same time, his 23-year-old younger brother Tony Yang also arrived in the Philippines.
Six months later, following their grandfather's last wishes, they moved to Cagayan de Oro and received 800,000 pesos from their maternal grandfather for business investments.
In 1999, the Yang brothers met Rodrigo Duterte, who was then the mayor of Davao City and later became the president. (In 2016, Tony Yang became the presidential assistant and economic advisor.)
During this period, he actively participated in business activities, integrated into the local Chinese Chamber of Commerce, and became known as the "head" of the Chinese in Cagayan de Oro.
Around 2003, Yang Jianxin's Filipino maternal grandfather helped him obtain a birth certificate from Misamis Oriental. Since his mother's surname was "Lim," his Filipino name is Antonio Maestrado Lim or Antonio Lim.
In the following years, Yang Jianxin founded several companies including Yangtze Economic Development Union and Yangzi Pharmaceutical Group, covering sectors like metals, tires, and rice.
In 2016, Yang Group signed a memorandum with Phividec Industrial Estate to lease properties at a rate of 30 pesos per square meter.
Phividec Industrial Estate, a government-owned corporation under the Philippine Veterans Investment Development Corporation, is currently led by the brother-in-law of leader Marcos.
In April 2017, Cagayan de Oro City passed a resolution allowing Oroone Inc to operate in the Alwana Business Park in Cugman village until 2023.
Oroone Inc, also known as "Gold One," is a POGO service provider, with Yang Zhiyuan as the owner and major shareholder.
This site is a 20-hectare multipurpose land located 30 minutes away from Phividec Estate.
In 2018, Yang Jianxin built a large warehouse in Cagayan Province and established several online gambling centers in Danleng Province and Bangbangya Province.
In 2021, Yang Jianxin was arrested for smuggling rice through the private port of his Sanjia Steel Corporation (also known as Sanjia Steel Factory or Sanjia Steel Factory).
In 2021, Tony Yang was embroiled in a scandal involving overpriced pandemic supplies purchased by Pharmally Pharmaceutical. Yang Jianxin's company was alleged to have close ties with the executives of this company.
In 2022, a legislator applied to inspect the gambling companies in the Alwana district, but it was not approved.
In August 2024, Yang Jianxin sold 35% of his steel factory shares to another company.
In early September 2024, Guo Aili was arrested, implicating the Yang brothers. Yang Jianxin was suspected of involvement in drug smuggling and facilitating illegal online gambling companies in Cagayan de Oro City, Tarlac Province, Banban, and Pollock, Bangbangya Province.
On September 19, Tony Yang was arrested at Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). At the time, he was carrying a Filipino birth certificate, a Chinese passport, over 1.4 million pesos in cash, and other foreign currencies, preparing to flee.
On September 24, he admitted that the Filipino birth certificate was forged. Investigations revealed his connections with key figures in multiple POGO cases. The brothers were linked to Chinese land encroachment and extrajudicial killings in Duterte's harsh drug war.
On September 25, the Department of Justice announced that it would bring criminal charges against Yang Jianxin for violating immigration laws. He will not be deported.
