Dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo, who has been linked to illegal POGO operations, has left the country for Malaysia before proceeding to Singapore to meet up with her family, Senator Risa Hontiveros said.
The senator said based on the information she received from the National Bureau of Investigation, Guo entered Malaysia at 12:17:13 (military time) on July 18, 2024.
“This means that she left the Philippines on July 17,” said Hontiveros, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality which has been conducting hearings into illegal POGO operations in the country.
The senator said another source informed her that from Malaysia, Guo went to Singapore where she met her mother, Lin Wen Yi, and father, Guo JianZhong.
The couple flew in from China on July 28, 2024, Hontiveros said.
“There was such a reunion there together with Guo’s brother, Wesley Guo, and Cassandra Ong,” she said.
But according to Department of Justice spokesman Mico Clavano, Mayor Guo is still in the country.
“There has been no report to us of an attempted departure from the Bureau of Immigration. In fact, she filed a motion for her case in the DOJ last Friday to which she attached a counter affidavit, which was sworn before a Philippine notary public on August 14, 2024. And there have been reported sightings after July 18, 2024,” Clavano said.
Guo’s lawyer also maintained she is still in the Philippines.
“Tinawagan ko siya…sabi ko nakalabas ka na ba ng Pilipinas? Sabi niya, hindi. Kasi sabi ko gusto ko malaman kung nandito ka pa para ‘yung legal strategy ko maayos ko,” lawyer Stephen David said.
David said he told Guo that “they have other options” if she really has left the country.
“Kung wala ka na sa Pilipinas, kung yan ang decision mo, mayroon naman tayong options, sabi ko sa kanya. Kung nakalabas ka, ‘di punta tayo sa bansa na may political asylum at dun tayo gumawa ng dokumento para makalaban tayo,” he added.
David earlier said Guo assured him she remains in the “central Philippines.”
The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission said they are verifying reports Guo left for Indonesia through Denpasar.
“As far as our BI records are concerned she is still in the country. (But) we are coordinating with our local partners to check on this info. In the meantime, we are awaiting the official information from our Malaysian and Indonesian counterparts,” PAOCC spokesperson Winston Casio said.
Clavano added: “We are currently awaiting official verification from NBI if the documents attributed to them are authentic. We will continue to gather information from both the Bureau of Immigration and the National Bureau of Investigation.”
“This is a case of national significance. Thus, if it is indeed true that Alice Guo has left the country, a thorough investigation is needed to hold those responsible accountable. This is not a light matter,” he added.
Hontiveros said she was baffled as to how Guo slipped out of the country, adding that the dismissed mayor could not have possibly left the country without help from government officials.
“Who allowed this travesty to happen? Who did this? What if there is a need to investigate the enforcement? What if they dropped the ball? What if they should be held accountable?” Hontiveros said.
“If we don’t do something about this – as an institution, as a country – it would appear that we allowed ourselves to be repeatedly slapped by this foreigner who ‘played’ with our laws, policies and processes,” she added.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “Hontiveros: Embattled Mayor Alice Guo has left the Philippines“
