MANILA, Philippines — A Chinese national has corroborated the allegation of a self-confessed Chinese spy linking dismissed Bamban mayor Alice Guo to China’s civilian intelligence, security and secret police agency.
During the resumption of the public hearing of the Senate committee on women, children and family relations chaired and presided over by Sen. Risa Hontiveros yesterday, Chinese Wang Fu Gui claimed that Alice Guo’s mayoralty campaign itself was arranged by China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS).
Wang, however, did not provide additional details.
He said he learned about Guo’s being a spy from tycoon and self-confessed Chinese spy She Zhijiang when they were both detained in Thailand.
Guo won as mayor of Bamban in May 2022, but she was dismissed by the Office of the Ombudsman.
Hontiveros’ committee yesterday aired Wang’s recorded interview via Zoom during the 15th hearing.
Wang gave his testimony in Chinese, but the video had English subtitles.
He claimed that She entrusted to him classified encrypted materials, including that of Alice Guo, who he described as “a Chinese spy, but not a special one.”
In his recorded interview, which ran for almost 10 minutes, Wang was asked about his association with She and how long he has known him.
“I was his cellmate, we were good friends who trusted each other and lived in prison for one and a half years. After my release, he entrusted me to handle some of his declassified file matters,” Wang, who noted that She gave him access to top-secret document, said.
“It should be accurate to say that he gave me access to some of the top-secret documents, and I am only one of the custodians of these documents. Still, opening every one of them is only valid if it is authorized by Mr. She’s own decryption passphrase,” Wang added.
Alice Guo was not a special spy even as her file was found in She’s files, according to Wang.
Asked how he came to the conclusion that Alice Guo, also known as Guo Hua Ping, is a spy, Wang answered: “In fact, the content of the declassified file kept by Mr. She is large and I only have declassified a portion under his authorization. Guo Hua Ping was a spy, but not a special one.”
“It just so happens that there is a copy of her state security background there and her situation with Mr. She has a lot of similarities. That’s all I can say, because I’m not Mr. She himself, and according to my agreement with him, I can only reveal so much, sorry,” Wang added.
He revealed that those recruited would be subjected to strict investigation and secrets of the field agents are also collected to be used to control them.
“For example, Guo Hua Ping’s fake Filipino identity is such a secret and weakness. That she can only listen to state security. Mr. She’s experience is similar,” Wang said.
Asked when and how Guo Hua Ping was recruited to become a spy, the particular circumstances surrounding her recruitment and why she was specifically recruited, Wang replied that he could not answer it.
“These questions need to be asked directly to Mr. She Zhijiang himself as he is in the know,” Wang said.
“While the overseas special agents recruited by China State Security include spies who collect intelligence, many others work for the political and economic interests of the Chinese government, such as officials and businessmen in some countries,” he added.
Wang was also asked to explain in detail how the Philippine offshore and gaming operations (POGOs) and scamming business are related to spying operations.
“Of course, there is a correlation, it has a lot to do with the Chinese government’s exuberant intelligence… There’s also the fact that all of this is totally connected to the Belt and Road, which is also just part of a huge united front and intelligence strategic plan for the whole world, including foreign colonization tactics,” he explained.
Wang also pointed out that spies in the Philippines today are not only Chinese.
“There are people (in the Philippines) from all countries, and they are not all Chinese. That’s all I can answer, sorry,” he said.
Wang also mentioned that a certain Ma Dongli could be Guo’s handler and acted as a go-between her and She.
Wang was asked who this handler is, if Ma is also working for Yatai, if he has connections to the government and if he is Guo Hua Ping’s handler.
“Ma Dongli is Mr. She Zhijiang’s State Security Contact. He is the second generation of the Reds, he has an American identity, he is also the vice president of the Thai Chinese Association and he was the third-highest ranking member of the Yatai before. Mr. She Zhijiang was illegally entrapped, there is a high probability that he is also Guo Hua Ping’s handler and that Mr. She Zhijiang’s contact with Guo Hua Ping is through Ma Dongli. That is the only thing that I can answer,” Wang said.
“She Zhijiang is now reported to have been severely suppressed by the Chinese government for his revelation of the espionage case involving Guo Hua Ping and due to the sensitivity of the matter, Mr. She has been placed under strict surveillance in Thai prisons, and his contact with the outside world has been restricted,” he added.
Communist ties
Senators yesterday dug deeper into Guo’s Chinese communist ties, after it was learned that She, her alleged fellow Chinese spy, and Ma, an alleged Chinese Communist Party (CCP) member, have been visiting the Philippines using several Philippine-issued visas.
During the same Senate inquiry yesterday, senators asked the country’s intelligence and foreign affairs officials following an interview conducted by Hontiveros’ office with Wang.
Wang was allegedly detained with She until the former was acquitted of his credit card fraud case.
Francisco Ashley Acedillo, a former Magdalo congressman who now is deputy director general for the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA), said the revelations only show that the CCP has a network of spies to infiltrate the political and economic institutions of other countries.
Guo and She may be part of a “united front” to achieve the communist government’s interests, according to Acedillo.
“The ‘united front’ must be understood not just as a Chinese Communist Party arm, but also as a broad system involving agencies, social organizations, businesses, universities, research institutions and individuals carrying out ‘united front’ work activities. It is a dedicated body within the Chinese party state apparatus,” Acediillo explained.
The NICA is still conducting a parallel investigation into She’s allegation that he and Guo are “MSS agents.”
“We can inform the committee of the parallels between She Zhijiang and Guo Hua Ping during closed door discussions, and tie it up with our current efforts in national intelligence, as to the extent of the united front work of the Chinese communist party and mainland China,” Acedillo said.
Meanwhile, Hontiveros also showed records that She was able to travel to the Philippines several times from 2015 to 2020 using the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority working visa, “9A” or Temporary Working Visa and an “Executive Order 408” visa.
Hontiveros also showed travel records of Ma that he was able to visit the Philippines using the same visas and a Special Investors Resident Visa from 1995 to 2018.
Guo pressured to tag Duterte, Bato, Go?
Guo was allegedly pressured to tag former president Rodrigo Duterte, Senators Bong Gong and Ronald dela Rosa and former Criminal Investigation and Detection Group chief Romeo Caramat in illegal offshore gaming operations.
This was according to Dela Rosa himself, citing credible “A1” information that an alleged envoy, Mary Ann Maslog, had prepared an affidavit for Guo to sign implicating them in illegal POGOs.
Dela Rosa confronted Maslog about his information during the Senate’s resumption of its POGO investigation yesterday.
Maslog was invited because she knew Guo and the latter’s alleged partner Sual, Pangasinan Mayor Liseldo Calugay.
“I have credible information that somebody from Malacañang ordered you to have Alice Guo sign an affidavit implicating Duterte, Go, me and General Caramat as the people behind POGO operations. I have a very A1 information,” Dela Rosa said.
“You are being used. I will pin you down. I have the goods against you. You are a liar!” he added, pointing at Maslog.
An alleged textbook scammer, Maslog got the ire of senators yesterday and was cited in contempt for being evasive about questions surrounding her role in Guo’s arrest.
Maslog broke down in tears and denied she was used by Malacañang to convince Guo to drag the names of Duterte and the latter’s allies.
“There was no affidavit. That is not true,” Maslog said.
She failed to convince senators that she was tapped by Philippine National Police (PNP) Intelligence Group officer-in-charge Brig. Gen. Romeo Macapaz to serve as an envoy to Guo’s legal team.
Maslog’s record of pretending to be dead to hide from her graft case before the Sandiganbayan cast doubt on her credibility, according to the senator.
“You are a liar!” Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada said.
“This person is a professional con artist,” Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian added.
Maslog claimed that she was tapped by Macapaz to convince Guo to surrender.
Macapaz, who was later called virtually by senators during the hearing, confirmed that he was the “handler” of Maslog who was his “action agent.”
Dela Rosa said his credible information was that Maslog visited Guo at the PNP Custodial Center to pressure Guo to sign the prepared affidavit.
Macapaz admitted helping Maslog secure the visit to Guo’s police detention facility out of “gratitude” for helping the police as an asset.
Senators slammed Macapaz for helping an accused in a graft case.
Macapaz said the police did not know about Maslog’s criminal record, but Macapaz said Guo named more people involved in POGO operations.
Macapaz, however, said he could only discuss it during an executive session. — Marc Jayson Cayabyab, Brix Lelis