How The Triad Drug Cartel Controlled the Nation by Erick San Juan

Finally, drug operations in the Philippines is now truly being addressed. Thanks to the strong will of President Rodrigo Duterte. But how this nationwide operation came about and now already embedded even to the highest and smallest fiber of our society?

The British opium operation in China was exported in Hong Kong and to some parts of Asia including the Philippines. Even in the books of Jose Rizal, he exposed how even our so called Illustrados were used by Chinese businessmen and barter traders to bring in opium to the country in disguise as support to finance their revolution. Even the NPA's in the mountain provinces plant marijuana to support their cause.

The Triad Gang of China was in gambling, prostitution, smuggling, trading opium to producing shabu, money lending and laundering.

A book manuscript of Col. Balbino Diego, former FM's PSC (Presidential Security Command) chief legal, tycoons like Li Ka Shing of Hong Kong, Stanley Ho of Macau and Run Run Shaw of Singapore were part of the Triad.

Under the Marcos regime, a mafia – like code of silence was strictly observed to hide illicit transactions with the Triad using their underworld connections to smuggle including war loots especially gold.

When the US government found out this secret connection of Marcos with the underworld, FM was forced to create his own legitimate Chinese connection by creating his own dummies like Henry Sy, Jose Yao Campos, etc.

To avert his link with the Triad, he discreetly ordered the burning of the floating casino of Stanley Ho to justify the discontinuity of Ho’s operation. Diego orchestrated the killing of the chemist of FM's Triad asset, a certain Co. Lim Seng, the chemist of Co from China didn’t even understand English nor Tagalog. Lim Seng was told by Co that he will be killed in disguise using dud bullets. FM ordered to shoot Lim Seng via musketry to show to the world that he is against drug proliferation.

FM sent his children abroad to study and avoid friends with bad influence, especially those using downers, marijuana and other prohibited high end drugs. Remember the plane crushed during the time of Marcos where most of the 'friends' of Bongbong Marcos died? An accident in disguise?

When Marcos and family went to China and visited Mao Tze Tung, he secretly invested his war loots of precious metals in China, claiming that it’s payback time and admitted to Mao that his real father was a businessman from Amoy, China named Andres Chua, a rice miller in Ilocos Norte.

In the 80’s, FM laundered money with the help of an American insurance company with direct connection in Hong Kong and China. Hot monies were poured in the Philippine financial system. The Binondo Central Bank of then Finance Minister Bobby Ongpin managed the underground economy.

In my previous report which I have written a summary and can be read at my blog, I have shown how our government was penetrated by Chinese underworld through some government officials like Marcos, head of G2 (AFP), then Gen. Pedro dela Pena and other military and police officers and big business including media owners.

Now these Chinese front men of our politicians control basically everything including the Church hierarchy disguised themselves as philanthropists.

The Triad gang expanded and metamorphosed in the late 90’s and was called the Six Golden Triad and with Bamboo Gang of Taiwan and 14K of Hong Kong included. Meaning from 3 they became an elite member of 18 Chinese mafia boss worldwide.

Triad History

The term 'Triad' was given by the Hong Kong government to Chinese secret societies based on the triangular symbol which once represented such societies. The symbol is the Chinese character 'Hung,' encased in a triangle, representing the union of heaven, earth, and man. So Triads even today are sometimes referred to as the 'Hung Society' or the 'Heaven and Earth Society.'

The commonly accepted myth about triads is that they began as a resistance movement to the Manchu emperors. The Manchu were from a country north of China (Manchuria) and were seen as foreign rulers, who took China's northern capital (Peking now Beijing) by force, and established their dynasty around 1674.

The Chinese Nationalist government was established in Nanking during 1927 and led by a known killer and criminal member of the Shang Hai Green Gang, Chiang Kai Shek.

Triads took over the government of southern China, fought the Communists (later under Mao Tse Tung) for total control, and Western powers used this "Green Gang" organized crime group to suppress any labor unrest and kill-off communists.

When Japan invaded most major China cities in World War II, Triads offered to work for them instead. In Hong Kong, Triads ran criminal enterprises for Japan while Japan united the gangs under an association called the "Hing Ah Kee Kwan" (Asia Flourishing Organization).

The gangsters were used to help police the residents of Hong Kong, and to suppress any anti-Japanese activity. The gangs were paid through a Japan front company named LEE YUEN COMPANY.

Following World War II, the target of the West and the Triads became Communists again, and the Chiang Kai Shek nationalist government campaigned to increase Triad membership. In Southern China, this campaign was under Nationalist Army Lieutenant General Kot Siu Wong whose headquarters were at: Number 14, Po Wah Road, Canton where the name of the "14 K" Triad is thought to have originated. It was estimated that in 1947, there were 300,000 Triad members in Hong Kong alone.

When the Mao Tse Tung communists were victorious by 1949, these Triad nationalists were dispersed to Hong Kong, Macao, Thailand, San Francisco, Vancouver, and Perth Australia while the remnants of the Chiang Kai Shek KMT (Kuomintang) South China Army was forced into the Burma highlands where they became pivotal to smuggling drugs to the West via Thailand under Khun Sa. The Communists suppressed Triads on the mainland, executing and imprisoning many. Mao's Prime Minister Chou En Lai banned cultivation and use of opium in 1950.

At its most basic level, the hierarchy of triad members matters little except in each individual relationship between two members, each based on ties between the Dai Lo (big brother) and Sai Lo (little brother). The big brothers give work, protection, and advice to the younger brothers who give loyalty, support, and money in exchange. In many cases, this is the only relationship that matters.

But there is a Triad hierarchy. It is not really known to what extent it is still used. Most analysts agree the lower level ranks are still commonly in place, but how many Triad groups use the more complicated higher rankings and to what extent cannot be accurately measured. Along with the names of each rank, Triad ranks also have numbers, all beginning with the number 4, which represents the four  oceans said to surround China in ancient times, and therefore signifying the universe as a whole. ( Source: China Triad Secret Societies Bank Trillions by Unwanted Publicity Intelligence - Staff Writer, November 2008)

At the end of President Fidel Ramos regime, i wrote an article, "Narco-politics will Control Future Administrations" which was published in several newspapers. Sad to say, they did. Even in the 2010 elections, there were reports that “narco-politics has become a major issue in the Philippine election campaign following the release of a US state department report in which it expressed concern that the illicit drug trade may influence the outcome of the May 10 poll.

The state department's 2010 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, made public March 1, 2010 said the illegal narcotics trade "continues to pose a significant national threat, especially in view of the coming national elections". According to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), the illegal drugs trade in the country totals US$6 billion to $8bn annually and is growing.

"Narco-politics is a serious concern in our country and is growing," said Gilbert Teodoro, a former defense secretary, said he was aware of the claims made in the state department report but added: "the problem does not involve politicians at the national level". "The problem is at the local and provincial levels especially in some parts of Mindanao," he told the Manila Overseas Press Club on March 5.

The former chairman of the Dangerous Drugs Board, Vicente Sotto, who ran for a Senate seat, said some candidates' campaigns had "probably already been infiltrated" by drug lords but were unaware of it. He said the best advice for local politicians is not to accept campaign contributions from unknown sources. The Commission on Elections, which oversees the electoral process, said the reports were "quite alarming" and asked the PDEA to name those candidates who are alleged to be receiving drug money from traffickers for their campaign.” (Source: Philippines poll 'hit by drugs trade' by Karl Wilson, March 15, 2010).

There were already reports and possibilities were high even in the 2010 elections of narco-politics or the use of drug money for campaign funds, but what is the difference compared to the Duterte administration now? Our present leadership has enough courage and sincerity to stop this menace – proliferation of illegal drugs and has given names of high-ranking police officials who are reportedly protecting people who are in the drug trade.

The list of President Duterte is long and I am pretty sure that in due time he will name names again. Beware, the change is here and Pres. Duterte is very angry to those who are actually committing treason in the process. This is the right for the nation to support a righteous leader's out of the box agenda.