BI seeks custody of ex-Duterte adviser’s brother

CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines — Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado has urged the Municipal Trial Court (MTC) to return custody of Tony Yang to the agency.

Viado said in a statement that the BI has requested MTC Branch 7 in Cagayan de Oro to transfer custody of Yang to the agency should he be granted bail by the court.

“We fear that Yang might go into hiding to avoid further legal action,” said Viado. “There is a strong concern that he might abscond if released, knowing that he still has a pending case with us,” he added.

Yang, who reportedly also uses the name Yang Jianxin in his Chinese documents, was arrested in 2024 by the BI’s fugitive search unit and intelligence division, in coordination with the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission, at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 after arriving from Cagayan de Oro (CDO).

He is currently detained in CDO, where he is said to be facing charges of falsification of public documents, perjury and violations of the Anti-Alias Law in local courts — all of which are bailable.

However, he also faces a deportation case on grounds of undesirability for allegedly misrepresenting himself as a Filipino.

The BI chief said that since Yang still has a pending deportation case with the agency, he should be turned over to the BI to prevent him from evading detention.

“We believe our concerns are vhalid given that this is a high profile case and he has many resources to just ‘disappear’,” said Viado. “We earnestly call on the courts to take our plea into account in the interest of justice,” he added.

Yang is currently detained at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) facility in Barangay Lumbia, Cagayan de Oro City, instead of in Manila, where immigration officials are seeking his custody over fraudulent citizenship charges.

BJMP Region 10 Director Chief Superintendent Felixberto Jagorin Jr. said Yang — the older brother of Michael Yang, who served as economic adviser to former President Rodrigo Duterte — has been held at the facility since July 2025.

The detention follows a local court ruling that Yang must first face criminal complaints filed by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) before any transfer.

“He is here. No VIP treatment for him,” Jagorin said.

Regular jail routine

Lumbia male dormitory supervisor Superintendent Joey Doquiles said Yang joins fellow inmates for morning exercises and complies with nightly “Greyhound” inspections targeting illegal drugs, cigarettes and alcohol.

“Yang is allowed visits from his lawyer and friends. He is free to mingle with other inmates and is not isolated,” Doquiles said.

BJMP officials declined to disclose further details, noting that Yang is awaiting judgment on criminal cases filed by the NBI before Municipal Trial Court Branches 2 and 7 in Cagayan de Oro.

Doquiles added that formal written inquiries are required for additional information to protect the detainee’s privacy rights.

The charges

NBI Region 10 filed multiple complaints against Yang for alleged corporate and identity fraud, specifically regarding his acquisition of Philippine citizenship under the alias “Antonio Maestrado Lim.”

Known locally as “Tony Yang,” he claimed ownership of several business ventures, including the Philippine Sanjia Steel Corporation facility in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental, which was raided by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) on May 15, 2026.

Yang shares a cell with other persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) in the 3,800-capacity male dormitory on the city’s southern outskirts as he awaits court resolution.