Philippine authorities remain confident that dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo, now an international fugitive will eventually be repatriated to answer for her alleged crimes.
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian on Monday said that ambassadors representing Association of Southeast Asian Nations- (ASEAN) member countries informed him that their respective law enforcement agencies are presently on the lookout for the fugitive ex-mayor.
He said Guo will likely be arrested in Indonesia where her sister Sheila, and business associate Cassandra Li Ong, were apprehended last August 21.
This view was supported by Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) officials, who believe Guo is still hiding out in Indonesia, while her brother Wesley reportedly attempted to enter Hong Kong last week.
“We got in touch with our Indonesian counterparts, and according to their info, Guo Hua Ping (Alice Guo) is still in Batam (Island),” PAOCC spokesperson Winston Casio said in an interview with Balitanghali.
“On Wesley Guo, we received information that he tried to fly to Hong Kong or attempted to go to Hong Kong last Monday (August 19). We’re checking if he made it,” he added.
Casio said the Philippine government is talking with counterparts in Hong Kong to find out if Wesley was able to enter their territory.
He pointed out that PAOCC has a lead on those assisting the Guo siblings and is currently verifying the information and photos they have received.
Meanwhile, custody over Sheila Guo and Li Ong was divided between the Senate and the House of Representatives.
The Senate took custody of Sheila from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) early Monday afternoon.
Upon her arrival at the Upper Chamber, she was examined by a medical team to ensure her physical and mental health.
At about the same time, Li Ong was dropped off by NBI agents at the House premises in Quezon City.
“Ms. Cassandra Ong has been transferred to the custody of the H-Rep,” House Secretary General Reginald Velasco said in a text message to reporters.
Sheila is the corporate secretary of most of the Guo family’s companies while Li Ong is an authorized representative of Lucky South 99, which was raided by authorities in a POGO hub in Bamban.
The two are scheduled to appear at a Senate hearing on Tuesday, August 27, 2024, regarding the alleged illegal activities of POGO.
As this developed, lawyer Ferdinand Topacio, who represents Li Ong, on Monday threatened to file charges against government officials who ordered her arrest.
At a media forum in Quezon City, Topacio insisted his client was arbitrarily detained at the NBI and went through an inquest proceeding without due process.
“That’s arbitrary detention without an arrest warrant,” he said.
“Let us see if we could file a case against someone from the Department of Justice also before the DOJ to see its partiality or impartiality… to check its professionalism or has it broken the law,” he told the media.
Topacio urged lawmakers to “treat resource persons respectfully,” apparently referring to his client’s current detention inside the premises of Congress.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “Gatchalian: ASEAN neighbors ‘on the lookout’ for Alice Guo”
