During a Senate hearing, Senator Risa Hontiveros presented several photos featuring former Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Benjamin Acorda Jr. alongside individuals linked to illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).
One of the key figures in the photos, Yang Jian Xin, also known as Tony Yang, was confronted by Hontiveros regarding his involvement.
Yang is the brother of businessman Michael Yang, a former economic adviser to ex-President Rodrigo Duterte, and currently faces charges of fraud in China.
Hontiveros questioned Yang about the nature of the meeting shown in the photos, including the identities of those present and the topics discussed.
However, Yang, through an interpreter, claimed that it was not an official meeting but merely a visit to the then Cagayan police chief.
When pressed for more details, Yang struggled with the name, referring to the police chief as “Acola” or “Acoda,” which Senator Jinggoy Estrada corrected, identifying Acorda as the former PNP chief.
Yang disclosed that he had known Acorda since his tenure as the director of Cagayan. When Hontiveros inquired whether Yang was aware of the arrest warrant against him in China, Yang denied any knowledge of it.
The investigation also called Sual, Pangasinan Mayor Dong Calugay, to testify.
Calugay confirmed knowing Acorda as the highest-ranking PNP official, citing personal ties that arose when Acorda served as the police chief in Sual.
Calugay’s involvement in the Senate investigation stems from his romantic relationship with Alice Guo, whose brother, Wesley, also appeared in one of the photos shown by Hontiveros, taken in Camp Crame.
Calugay added that Wesley had accompanied them because he wanted to meet the PNP chief.
The former PNP chief was also mentioned during a Senate inquiry the previous week, with allegations that he was among those who received bribes to help Alice Guo leave the country.