Dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo (Guo Hua Ping) and Lucky South 99 authorized representative Cassandra Li Ong briefly became interpreters during a joint hearing of the House Quad Committee on Friday, September 27.
Tony Yang (Yang Jianxin), the brother of former presidential economic advisor Michael Yang during the Duterte administration, appeared at the House of Representatives on September 27 as lawmakers probe Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO) and the illegal drug trade.
Tony is believed to own the Philippine Sanjia Steel Corporation in Cagayan de Oro, which reportedly has the same layout as the POGO hubs raided in Bamban and Porac, Pampanga.
Opposition Sen. Risa Hontiveros also said he supposedly had direct transactions with Guo’s Baofu Land Development Inc., the company that leased the property in Bamban to POGOs.
During the September 27 hearing, Tony was asked by Rep. Benny Abante Jr. (Manila, Sixth District) about his businesses and why the former decided to establish himself in the Philippines instead of China.
Abante then asked Guo to help translate the question into Chinese so Tony could understand it.
Carol Batay, the former “Pinoy Big Brother: Double Up” housemate who served as a Chinese interpreter in the Senate hearing, was also the official interpreter of the House mega-panel’s probe.
However, her contract lapsed as the House hearing reached beyond 12 midnight.
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The dismissed mayor, who was prompted to act as interpreter, was then asked to speak in the microphone.
After a few minutes, Guo scratched her head while laughing and then conceded, saying that she “cannot do it.”
Abante later asked Ong if she understood what Tony said.
After Ong’s first attempt at translation, Tony offered to speak for himself in Filipino.
Batay was asked to return to the hearing and sat beside Tony.
RELATED: Carol Batay reacts as Pinoys notice her appearance in Senate POGO hearings
Rep. Dan Fernandez (Sta. Rosa, Laguna) joked that they would no longer ask for an interpreter as Guo can translate Chinese for them.
During Batay’s temporary absence, there was also a moment when Tony responded to Abante in Filipino.
The lawmaker was stunned when the Chinese national understood him.
“Kita niyo. Nahuli natin. Marunong mag-Tagalog ‘to, nakakaintindi! Huling-huli eh,” Abante said.
On TikTok, a Filipino user claiming to be a former employee of Tony’s business in Cagayan de Oro wrote that the Chinese national speaks “nice Bisaya” and supposedly knows Filipino as well.
“Sir Tony can speak here in straight Tagalog and Bisaya. Though it’s a bit choppy, he can understand it. There’s no Chinese person or translator among the staff. Lol,” online user @janella.del.valle wrote in another comment.
Tony was eventually cited in contempt for lying in the House Quad Committee. He was also ordered to be detained at the Quezon City jail.
He was arrested last September for immigration violations.
