Shiela Guo, sister of ousted Bamban mayor, is a Chinese national — NBI
MANILA, Philippines (Updated 4:34 p.m.) — Shiela Leal Guo, the sister of dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo, has been confirmed as a Chinese national, according to National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Jaime Santiago on Friday.
Shiela Leal Guo, along with Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) incorporator Cassandra Li Ong, was detained by Indonesian authorities and returned to the Philippines on Thursday. However, the elusive Alice Guo remains at large.
Santiago said that Shiela Leal Guo’s fingerprints match those of a certain Zhang Mier.
“Comparative fingerprint analysis shows that the Chinese national Zhang Mier and Shiela L. Guo are one and the same person. So, we can conclude that Shiela L. Guo, who is currently in our custody, is indeed Chinese,” Santiago said in a press briefing.
Santiago also mentioned that Shiela Leal Guo will be charged with violating the Philippine Passport Act. The NBI will file additional charges for immigration violations, as she misrepresented herself as a Filipino citizen and fraudulently acquired a Philippine passport. Shiela Guo also holds a Chinese passport.
On the other hand, Cassandra Li Ong possesses a Philippine passport and therefore has not been charged yet. The Department of Justice declined to comment on other possible charges.
Ong and Shiela Guo are currently in the custody of the NBI.
Bureau of Immigration spokesperson Dana Sandoval earlier said that Alice Guo and her brother Wesley Guo are still in Indonesia, according to their counterparts in the country.
“Our counterparts have confirmed through tracking that she is still in Indonesia. There have been no attempts by former Mayor Alice Guo to travel or transfer to another country,” Sandoval said on GMA's "Unang Balita."
Alice Guo has already been confirmed to share the same fingerprints as a Chinese national named Guo Hua Ping, as revealed by Sen. Risa Hontiveros.
Several government entities are after Alice Guo and her relatives after her connection to POGOs not only shed light on criminal activities in illegal gaming hubs but also cast serious doubt on the integrity of multiple government institutions, including the Philippine Statistics Authority and the Bureau of Immigration.
The House of Representatives, the Senate and the NBI all have reasons to detain Guo's relatives and associates.
Department of Justice spokesperson Assistant Secretary Mico Clavano admitted that this was a first.
"This is the first time na lahat nagkasabay-sabay. May order of arrest ang House, may order of arrest ang Senado, we also have reason to to take custody and charge them with several crimes," Clavano said in the same press briefing.
(This is the first time that it all happened at the same time. There is an order of arrest at the House, there is an order of arrest in the Senate, we also have reason to take custody and charge them with several crimes.)
According to Clavano, after talking with the proper authorities from each entity, there was an agreement that law enforcement authorities will do their job first.
However, he vowed that they will bring Ong and Shiela Guo to the House and Senate hearings if needed.
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