Could Bangayan be David Tan? Businessman weighs in

MANILA, Philippines - Businessman Jesus Arranza, among the first to speculate that Filipino-Chinese trader David Bangayan could be the rice smuggling mogul David Tan, attempted to connect the dots with some history.

On Tuesday, Bangayan approached the Department of Justice and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to deny that he uses the alias "David Tan" and to wash his hands clean from the ongoing investigation on rice smuggling.

Arranza, however, claimed that it was not the first time Bangayan was called Tan before a probing body.

Citing Bangayan's appearance before the Calamba City Regional Trial Court in July 13, 2005, Arranza said that Bangayan did not deny then that he uses the alias "David Tan."

"Nakalagay doon sa sinumpaang salaysay ng taga-Singapore na ang pangalan ng inaakusa niya ay Davidson Bangayan aka David Tan," Arranza said in an interview with DZMM on Wednesday.

The case was filed by a Singaporean firm accusing Bangayan's company of smuggling garbage instead of the expected scrap metals into India.

Arranza said that the Singaporean traders wrote in their affidavit that they were dealing with a certain "David Tan also known as Davidson Bangayan."

"Ang tanong, bakit sa Calamba court, mayroon ba siyang sinabi na hindi siya si David Tan?  Kasi kung inaakusa ka doon [sa] affidavit ... e dapat umalma ka at nagtanong ka kung bakit ganun?" Arranza, president of Federation of Philippine Industries, argued.

On Tuesday, Bangayan told Justice Secretary Leila de Lima that while he is a businessman, his trade involves scrap metals and not rice.

Related story: NBI arrests alleged rice smuggling king

Arranza also cited another instance in 2011 when newspapers first mentioned "Davidson Bangayan also known as David Tan" suspected to be behind the illegal trade of imported rice as well as frauduluent deals on scrap metals.

On May 23, 2011, news tabloid Pilipino Star Ngayon published a report on smuggled 800,000 tons of rice.

"Batay sa record ng Bureau of Customs at Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, taong 2005 ay natawag na ang atensyon ng gobyerno hinggil sa mga importasyon at negosyo sa pantalan ni Davidson Tan Bangayan, isang Fil-Chinese scrap metal dealer, matapos ireklamo ng panloloko ng isang kumpanya sa Singapore," the report by Butch Quejada said.

Mistaken identity?

Bangyan was arrested on Tuesday for another case stemming from violations of the anti-pilfirage law against Tan when he appeared at the NBI headquarters in Manila to deny his involvement in smuggling operations.

Arranza claimed, meanwhile, than he never said that Bangayan is indeed David Tan, saying that he merely made references to a similar case in the past.

"Wala akong masamang intensyong manira," he said.

Arranza also urged authorities to be cautious in assessing whether Tuesday's arrest was a situation of mistaken identity or not.

In a previous interview with the STAR, however, Arranza said that there is a "high probability" that Tan and Bangayan are the same person.

De Lima also made the same conjecture on Monday, announcing to the media that the NBI has discovered the identity of the smuggling king from Davao City.