Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Wednesday commended law enforcement agencies for a recent raid on a steel plant in Misamis Oriental that allegedly exposed severe labor violations, immigration breaches and the handling of hazardous radioactive materials.
The operation targeted the Sanjia Steel Corp. facility located inside the Phividec Industrial Estate in Tagaloan. The plant is reportedly owned by Tony Yang, the brother of former Duterte administration economic adviser Michael Yang.
Tony Yang has previously been linked to illegal offshore gaming operations.
“The operation unearthed grave crimes committed against Filipinos by the Chinese principals of Sanjia under the notorious Tony Yang and his dummies,” Teodoro said in a statement to DAILY TRIBUNE.
“For our part, we are conducting a serious and thorough investigation of Phividec and shall take steps to ensure that this incident is not repeated,” he added.
Teodoro warned that anyone attempting to intervene or frustrate the ends of justice would face serious legal consequences.
He added that the Office of Civil Defense is working with line agencies to safeguard the local community’s health and assist 316 exploited workers displaced by the facility’s closure.
To recall, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) director Melvin Matibag and Presidential Organized Crime Commission Undersecretary Benjamin Acorda Jr. revealed that Sanjia executives maintained connections with various public and private figures.
Matibag said 71 individuals were arrested at the site, and criminal charges have been filed against five incorporators, consisting of two Filipinos and three Chinese nationals. Investigators are looking into whether current or former government officials facilitated the plant’s illicit operations.
According to authorities, the facility manufactured steel using scrap materials imported from mainland China that were contaminated with highly radioactive elements, including uranium-238, thorium-228 and thorium-232.
The Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) confirmed it detected elevated radiation readings in several warehouses and production zones inside the compound.
Officials also raised alarms over the structural integrity of the steel bars produced by the plant, which were sold at cheap prices and may have already been used in local construction projects.
Matibag said laboratory examinations by the Department of Trade and Industry’s Bureau of Philippine Standards revealed multiple failures in mass variation, elongation and surface deformation requirements.
“These findings indicated the possible circulation of substandard construction materials that could compromise buildings, bridges, schools, hospitals and other critical infrastructure,” Matibag said.
The inter-agency crackdown was executed by the NBI, the Philippine National Police, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and the PNRI under the direction of the Presidential Organized Crime Commission.
