MANILA, Philippines — The arrest of dismissed Bamban mayor Alice Guo in Indonesia early yesterday is a warning to those trying to escape justice that the law will catch up with them, President Marcos said, as he vowed to dismiss and to file cases against officials found to be in cahoots with her.
“Let this serve as a warning to those who attempt to evade justice. Such is an exercise in futility. The arm of the law is long and it will reach you,” Marcos said in a video statement on Guo’s arrest.
“This government continues in its duty to apply the rule of law,” Marcos added.
The President yesterday gave assurance that Guo shall be entitled to all legal protections due her under existing laws and pursuant to his administration’s commitment to the rule of law.
“But we will not allow this to prolong the resolution of the case, whose outcome will be a victory for the Filipino people,” Marcos said.
The Chief Executive congratulated the law enforcement personnel behind Guo’s arrest and thanked the Indonesian government for its assistance.
“The public may not know the intricate details of this mission that you have successfully accomplished, but on their behalf, accept my thanks,” he said, addressing the law enforcers.
“The Philippines also thanks the Indonesian government for their assistance on this matter. The close cooperation between our two governments has made this arrest possible,” he added.
Guo, who is facing graft, human trafficking and money laundering raps in relation to her supposed link to a Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) in her town, was arrested in Tangerang City in Jakarta at 1 a.m. yesterday, more than a month after she secretly left the Philippines.
The Senate ordered Guo’s arrest for her failure to attend its hearings on the operations of a POGO hub in Bamban that was raided by authorities in March for alleged human trafficking and serious illegal detention.
‘Pay the price’
In a chance interview at Camp Aguinaldo yesterday, Marcos said all officials who helped the dismissed mayor leave the Philippines would face the consequences of their actions.
“All of those who are implicated ... in assisting Alice Guo to leave the Philippines illegally as a fugitive from justice will certainly pay the price,” the President said.
“You asked me who will be dismissed. We will not just dismiss them. We will also file charges against them because what they did was against the law and against all the interests of the Philippine judicial system,” he added.
Marcos said the public would “find out soon enough” who would be axed over Guo’s secret departure from the country.
“We are already finalizing the arrangements for the return of Alice Guo back to the Philippines sometime today (Sept. 4),” he added.
Last week, Marcos assured the public that heads would roll because of Guo’s escape and that the culprits who aided the mayor and betrayed the people’s trust would be exposed.
The President said Guo’s departure has laid bare the “corruption” that undermines the justice system and erodes public trust.
In July, the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) asked Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 34 to declare Guo’s proclamation as Bamban mayor null and void, saying she is a Chinese national and is therefore ineligible to seek any elective post.
Guo, also known as Guo Hua Ping, likewise committed acts of serious dishonesty that warrant her removal from office, according to the OSG.
Last month, the Office of the Ombudsman ordered Guo’s dismissal for grave misconduct, saying her involvement in the raided POGO hub in her town showed a “willful intent on her part to violate the law or disregard established rules.”
Somber
Bureau of Immigration spokesperson Dana Sandoval admitted that the mood in the BI is somber following Marcos’ rebuke of the agency over the Guo siblings’ escape.
Sandoval noted that they still have no information regarding the supposed immigration officers who helped in their escape.
“We will continue with our work because we also want to know the truth so that those who are involved in this scheme will face justice,” Sandoval said.
“Whoever is connected with this is tarnishing the name of the agency as a whole,” she added.
Sandoval said the BI would not hesitate to file charges against anyone involved in the matter.
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said he still suspects some BI personnel helped in the Guo sibling’s escape from the Philippines in July, saying the investigation on the matter is still ongoing.
Remulla recalled the so-called pastillas scam that allowed the illegal entry of Chinese visitors, escorting them through immigration screening, in exchange for money.
“They sneak people in like what the pastillas gang did and they sneak people out. That’s why we know that people at the immigration are doing that, so that’s what we’re looking at now,” he said.
The justice secretary, however, said he has not yet talked to BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco about his suspicions on the possible involvement of immigration personnel in Guo’s exit from the country.
Remulla added that Tansingco allegedly failed to notify the DOJ on the developments on Guo’s escape.
“When this was happening, he did not tell me immediately. Maybe, he already knew about it before we found out. That’s why we’re not talking now. It’s wrong of him not to inform the DOJ secretary about developments in his agency,” Remulla said, referring to Tansingco.
Guo’s purported sister Shiela earlier told a Senate hearing that they left the Philippines through a series of boat trips until they got to Malaysia.
Shiela said they were taken from their farm in Bamban and transported in a van to a port, where they boarded a fishing vessel for a three- to four-day journey to Sabah, Malaysia.
Remulla, however, said he is skeptical of such claims, saying traveling by boat to Malaysia is riddled with challenges, including potential encounters with pirates in the South China Sea.
He expressed belief that they likely used a chartered flight, adding that the DOJ is coordinating with the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) to investigate the matter.
“We are checking all CAAP records, including flight logs and records of private chartered planes. This is still under investigation,” the DOJ chief said.
Meanwhile, the quad committee of the House of Representatives yesterday served notice that they would invite Guo to their ongoing probe about unlawful activities of POGOs.
Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, presiding officer of the joint panels, declared that they would extend an invitation to Guo to serve as one of their resource persons.
Meantime, Sta. Rosa, Laguna Rep. Dan Fernandez said the probe has unearthed a network of “powerful people” behind the interconnected operations among POGOs, illegal drug syndicates, extrajudicial killings and a host of other crimes.
In his opening statement at the start of the fourth hearing yesterday, he lamented that key personalities behind the criminal organization of POGOs continue to evade the long arm of the law.
“By now, there can be no doubt in anyone’s mind that powerful people are behind this large-scale, multibillion-peso criminal enterprise involving drug trafficking, POGOs and extrajudicial killings,” Fernandez, who chairs the House committee on public safety, declared.
“The fact that several key personalities of POGO corporations have managed to evade the long arm of the law speaks volumes of the power they wield and the resources at their disposal,” he added.
The findings of the committee have firmly established that Chinese nationals obtained Filipino citizenship by fraudulent means, then proceeded to acquire vast landholdings through businesses disguised as Filipino-owned corporations, according to the senior administration lawmaker.
“In the course of our inquiry, I believe that one thing will eventually be made clear: that drug money is the source of POGO money, and that POGO money is a source of criminal activities, including EJKs,” Fernandez said.
He responded to those accusing the quad comm of playing politics, especially because the start and eventual proliferation of POGOs occurred during the term of former president Rodrigo Duterte, saying they will not stop the investigation no matter who is implicated.
“Be that as it may, this quad committee will not stop, we will not even blink, we will not be affected,” he continued.
In another development, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is terminating the preliminary investigation against dismissed Guo for alleged misrepresentation.
Comelec Chairman George Garcia pointed out that the poll body gave Guo sufficient time to file her counter-affidavit until yesterday.
“Let’s see what developments in the next few days, especially if she is brought back,” Garcia said, noting that the Comelec is already set to terminate the preliminary investigation since Guo failed to submit her counter-affidavit. – Janvic Mateo, Daphne Galvez, Delon Porcalla, Mayen Jaymalin