| Tony Yang | |
| Native Name: | 杨建新 |
| Birth Name: | Yang Jianxin |
| Birth Date: | 4 September 1970 |
| Birth Place: | Jinjiang, Fujian, China |
| Other Names: | Antonio Maestrado Lim |
| Citizenship: | Chinese |
| Occupation: | Businessman |
| Relatives: | Michael (younger brother) |
Yang Jianxin (Chinese: 杨建新[1]), more commonly known as Tony Yang or Antonio Lim in the Philippines, is a Chinese businessman based in Cagayan de Oro.
A Chinese citizen, Tony Yang was born as Yang Jianxin in Jinjiang, Quanzhou in Fujian province.[2] His false Filipino birth certificate lists his birthdate as September 4, 1970.[3]
Yang under the encouragement of his grandfather would move to the Philippines around 1998 or 1999 to start his business venture in the country.[2] He would use Philippine identity documents including a birth certificate which he was able to obtain in 2004 which Yang said was fraudulently procured by his grandfather.[3] [2] He says he solely use "Antonio Lim" for Philippine legal documents and transactions.[4]
Yang would establish prominent business ties in the city of Cagayan de Oro in Mindanao where he often referred to by the Antonio Lim name in the local industry.[5]
He founded Yangtze Trade Company Inc. in 2000 which would branch out to various companies namely; Yangtze River Economy United Development, Yangtze Pharmaceutical Group, Yangtze River International Group, HK Yangtze Group InternationalYangtze River Pharmaceutical Group, and Yangtze Rice Mill.[6]
He was the president of the Philippine Sanjia Steel Corporation. His company operates Philippine Veterans Investment Development Corporation's (Phividec) steel mill in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental.[6] [7]
Yang was also linked to a former Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub at the Alwana Business Park as the alleged owner of Oroone Inc. a registered service provider for POGOs. Yang said he is a mere "dummy" for another person. The city council released a resolution in 2017 permitting the operation of the Oroone hub.[8] Operations of that POGO hub ended in July 2023.[9]
In September 2024, Yang was arrested in Metro Manila upon arriving at the airport for misrepresenting himself as a Filipino citizen.[10] He would appear at the inquiry by the Quad Commission of the House of Representatives and the Senate where the nature of his identity and business were scrutinized.[2] [11]
Tony Yang has an younger brother named Yang Hongming, who also goes by the name Michael who was at one point the presidential advisor for Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte.[12] [5] However the elder Yang says he has strained relationship with his brother even back to when he moved to the Philippines and has no joint ventures with him.[13]
He claims not to be fluent in English or any Philippine languages, a claim disputed by lawmakers who grilled him in the 2024 inquiries[2] Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission spokesperson Winston Casio further disputes this stating Yang can speak "good Tagalog and a little bit of Visaya"[14]
He is unrelated to the Lims of Cagayan de Oro, a prominent Chinese Filipino business family.[6]