The Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported the arrest of a Chinese national on May 21, who was found to have possible links to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) and Tony Yang, a known figure involved in POGO operations.
Authorities recovered multiple Philippine documents from his possession, such as birth certificates, PhilSys slips, SSS and UMID forms, Postal and TIN IDs, a driver’s license, and a COMELEC registration slip—all under the name of the individual.
BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado revealed that, according to MITG head Melody Penelope Gonzales, the foreign national is listed as an incorporator of Philippine Sanjia-Steel Corporation (Phil-Sanjia).
Antonio Lim, also known as Tony Yang, is listed as one of the incorporators of the company. He had earlier been the subject of legislative inquiries for his alleged role in POGO operations in the country.
Phil-Sanjia came under scrutiny after being identified during a congressional hearing as having alleged links to illegal POGO operations.
"We will not allow foreign nationals to abuse our systems, falsify their identities, and use Philippine documents to cover their tracks," said Viado.
Tony Yang was previously arrested by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) in 2024 at NAIA Terminal 3 for allegedly misrepresenting himself as a Filipino.
Notably, he is the brother of former presidential economic adviser Michael Yang, who served under the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
