Manila Rep. Joel Chua on Monday challenged former President Rodrigo Duterte to come forward and face a congressional investigation looking into the illegal drugs trade.

This as Michael Yang, Duterte’s economic adviser, was ordered arrested by the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs after he repeatedly snubbed a congressional subpoena.

Yang was summoned by the panel after it learned that his “associate,” Lincoln Ong, was an incorporator of a company with links to Empire 999 Realty Corporation.

Empire 999 reportedly owns the warehouse in Mexico, Pampanga, where P3.6 billion worth of shabu was seized in September last year.

“Your economic adviser was implicated in drugs, then you don’t confront the issue head-on? It defies human experience if they will continue to ignore the issue and pursue political deflection as a strategy,” Chua said, referring to Duterte.

Dismissed police colonel Eduardo Acierto, who testified before the committee, accused Yang, his alleged business partner Allan Lim, and other public personalities with close ties to Duterte, such as Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, of being deeply involved in the illicit drug trade.

As president from 2016 to 2022, Duterte was known for his strong stance against illegal drugs, which resulted in over 6,000 people killed in anti-illegal drug operations by the authorities.

‘Protectors’

The International Criminal Court had initiated an investigation into Duterte’s so-called “war on drugs” on allegations it was marked by state-sponsored killings of as many as 12,000 to 20,000 people.

Acierto told the panel that he discovered, along with Police Captain Lito Perote, that Yang and Lim had links to illegal activities, which they later reported to higher-ups. Since then, he said, Perote has gone missing and is presumed dead.

He implied that Duterte and Dela Rosa were “protectors” and were integral to the security of the illegal drug network operating in the country, which allowed the “entry of large volumes of illegal drugs through our ports.”