MANILA, Philippines – The Marcos-time Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) linked Senator Bong Go to Pharmally boss and alleged drug personality Lin Weixiong or Allan Lim (Allan Lin).
“According to [an] informant, Allan Lin is a close friend of then-special assistant to the president Christopher ‘Bong’ Go. Allan Lin is a casino junket operator who is involved in the kidnapping of high roller Chinese gamblers in Okada, Manila. Allan Lin or Weixiong Lin was involved in a case involving drugs in Cavite, but his case was dismissed in 2015,” PDEA Deputy Director General Renato Gumban said during the 12th quad committee hearing on Wednesday, November 27.
Gumban’s information came from PDEA’s matrix that showed the link between illegal drugs and Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO). Alleged actors in POGO and illegal drugs were included in the matrix like dismissed mayor Alice Guo and Lin.
Lin was indicted for graft over the irregular pandemic contracts given to Pharmally Pharmaceutical, his business interest with Michael Yang, former president Rodrigo Duterte’s economic adviser. Meanwhile, Yang’s brother, Tony Yang, has also been implicated in POGOs.
In early November, PDEA chief Moro Virgilio Lazo confirmed that Lin is also considered a drug personality, based on their intelligence. Citing a confidential informant, Lazo said they were able to confirm former anti-drug cop Eduardo Acierto’s report that Lin was allegedly involved in illegal drugs.
During the Wednesday hearing, lawmakers scolded Gumban after clarifying that their report has yet to establish stronger and clearer connections between POGOs and illegal drugs. The PDEA official also clarified that their probe has yet to clearly establish a connection between Go and Lin.
“According to our informant, they are just close friends. It is not specific that they are involved in drugs. That’s why we have these incorporators just to interlink them, and we are still digging what we can have against these people. It is not yet complete,” Gumban clarified.
“Hindi po kami close friends ni Allan Lim, at mas lalo pong hindi ako involved sa illegal drugs (Allan Lim and I are not close friends, and more importantly, I am not involved in illegal drugs),” Go told reporters in an interview in the Senate.
The ties that bind
Lim is involved in two major issues.
A series of Senate inquiries revealed that Pharmally secured billions of pandemic deals under Duterte, even though it lacked funds, a track record, and credibility to handle big-ticket projects. Recently, a Rappler investigation found that the year after Pharmally copped P7.4 billion in net sales, Lin bought two properties in Dubai worth P1 billion.
Before the Pharmally issue, the names of Yang and Lin were first mentioned in Acierto’s report, alleging that the two were involved in the illegal drug trade. Acierto, who is in hiding due to security concerns, earlier revealed that Duterte and the Philippine National Police allegedly ignored his intelligence about Yang and Lin.
Acierto also claimed that Go spread allegations about him after his revelations to discredit his report.
For years, there has been confusion as to whether Lin is the Allan Lim that Acierto mentioned in his report. Duterte’s PDEA chief Wilkins Villanueva said in a televised briefing in 2021 that the Lim in Acierto’s report is not the Lin of Pharmally. He reiterated the same position during the Wednesday hearing, despite the testimonies of Acierto and Lazo.
But Acierto was consistent in reiterating that Pharmally’s Lin and the Lim in his report are one and the same person, and Lazo’s confirmation of Lin’s identification served as corroboration. – Rappler.com