Guo forgoes bail, operations for police custody

MANILA, Philippines — Dismissed mayor Alice Guo of Bamban, Tarlac will remain in the custody of the Philippine National Police where she said she feels safe from threats to her life, after a Tarlac court issued a commitment order for the PNP to take her into custody.

Judge Sarah Vedana-Delos Santos of the Capas Regional Trial Court Branch 109 issued yesterday a commitment order for Guo’s detention at the PNP Custodial Center, the detention facility for high-risk inmates at Camp Crame.

“You will receive and keep the said accused during the pendency of the said charges subject to the order of the court,” Vedana-Delos Santos told the PNP in her order.

The judge approved a request of Sen. Risa Hontiveros to allow Guo to attend the continuation of the Senate hearings on Tuesday.

Guo’s lawyers manifested that she would forgo bail of P90,000 each for violating two provisions of the anti-graft and corrupt practices law.

Guo, upon her arrival on Thursday, said that she feels happy and safe under Philippine police custody, citing death threats she had been getting.

“I’m confirming what the secretary has said that I have death threats and I’m seeking their help. And I’m very happy to see them and now I feel safe,” Guo said, recalling her short conversation with Interior and Local Government Secretary Behur Abalos.

Guo’s lawyer Stephen David said she opted not to post bail as she would still remain in detention anyway because of the arrest warrant issued against her by the Senate.

“No urgent necessity to post bail,” he told The STAR in a text message, saying it is Guo’s call to stay under the custody of the PNP and not the Senate.

The court, meanwhile, also granted the request of Sen. Risa Hontiveros that Guo be allowed to attend the next hearing of the Senate on Monday on Guo’s links to criminal activities of Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO).

Guo, a Chinese national named Guo Hua Ping, was brought to the court by a convoy which left Camp Crame at around 9:40 a.m., accompanied by heavily armed policemen. She was brought back to the PNP’s main camp at around 2:12 p.m.

The latest development means Guo will not be detained at the Senate which issued an arrest order against Guo after it cited her in contempt for skipping hearings on the operations of illegal POGO hubs.

Guo is staying in the detention cell occupied previously by former senator Leila de Lima.

PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo assured the public they are not giving Guo any special treatment, as she noted the former mayor’s detention cell only has one comfort room and no air-conditioning. Cellphones and other gadgets are also prohibited.

The PNP has started its probe on the alleged death threats Guo has reportedly been receiving. 

“We have intelligence units that could somehow confirm if there really are threats,” Fajardo said.

Fajardo also showed during the briefing the moment a police officer read Guo her rights after a copy of the arrest warrant was served to her upon her arrival from Indonesia.

Guo was handcuffed before she was presented at a news conference.

Despite being scolded by President Marcos over Guo’s escape, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said it has performed its duty to have the dismissed mayor returned to the country.

‘Significant achievement’

BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said Guo’s return to the Philippines after a month-long manhunt was “a significant achievement for the Philippine justice system and highlights the effective collaboration between international counterparts and law enforcement agencies.” 

He pointed out the BI “worked closely with Indonesian immigration and police to execute a manhunt that led to her swift arrest and deportation” upon learning of Guo’s presence in Indonesia.

Guo, along with her sister Shiela, brother Wesley and Cassandra Ong, also suspected of having links to POGO, reportedly left the country through Sabah in Malaysia. Shiela and Ong were previously caught in Indonesia.

The BI said the dismissed Bamban mayor would face charges “of undesirability and misrepresentation under Philippine immigration laws.”

Meanwhile, the  Commission on Elections (Comelec) said Guo is seeking another extension to file her counter-affidavit on accusation of material misrepresentation in her certificate of candidacy in the 2022 polls.

“As a former practitioner, I was expecting that. She (Guo) was not here on the first extension, so why not file a second since she might be here already,” Comelec Chairman George Garcia said in an interview.

In the petition, the lawyers of Guo asked the Comelec for an additional period of 15 days to file her counter-affidavit before the Comelec law department.

Her lawyers said the appeal for a second extension is due to the “difficulty communicating” with their client. — Daphne Galvez, Marc Jayson Cayabyab, Ghio Ong, Emmanuel Tupas, Rhodina Villanueva