‘Where did she Guo? Paano siya naka Alice?’

In typical fashion, Filipinos use humor to express their exasperation – sometimes anger and frustration – at ridiculous situations. As the title of this column suggests, people are coming out with jokes about the disappearance of dismissed Bamban mayor Alice Guo, who has been the subject of a very high-profile Senate investigation over her suspected ties with illegal gambling operators and allegations that she is a fake Filipino.

Demonstrating the Pinoy wit and ability to play with words, “Where did she Guo? Paano siya naka Alice?” (nakaalis means “able to leave” in Filipino) is now going around social media following the revelation from Senator Risa Hontiveros that Alice Guo – a.k.a. Guo Hua Ping – left the country on July 18 for Indonesia. She then went to Malaysia and on July 21, traveled to Singapore where she had a “reunion” with her parents, Lin Wen Yi and Guo Jian Zhong, brother Wesley Guo and an associate named Cassandra Ong.

The Senate hearings over illegal gambling hubs following the raid of a POGO complex in Tarlac has made Guo’s name and face very familiar among many Filipinos, with numerous memes poking fun at her “selective amnesia” and her repetitive answer of “Your honor, I can’t remember” when asked about her education and other details about her childhood supposedly in a farm.

In reality, it’s not funny at all that despite being the subject of an arrest warrant by the Senate for her refusal to attend the subsequent committee hearings and the issuance of an Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order (ILBO), she was able to leave the country undetected, much to the amazement, and fury even, of many.

Granted that an ILBO could not stop anyone from leaving the county unlike a Hold Departure Order (HDO) issued by the court, there have been many instances of people getting offloaded or prevented from boarding their flights by Immigration officials who subject them to secondary questioning, especially if they are in an “alert list” like the ILBO.

We have heard so many stories about Immigration officials asking Filipino travelers to show the birth certificate of ancestors to establish their relationship with a relative in another country that they plan to visit. In fact, several legislators have called out the Bureau of Immigration for the “abuse of power” displayed by frontline officers against outgoing passengers even without seeming basis – like an incident that went viral when an Immigration officer asked a traveler to produce a graduation photo and even a yearbook – causing the woman to miss her flight.

Citing “intelligence information” from counterparts abroad, BI officials said Guo may have been able to leave the Philippines illegally (obviously) without passing through immigration authority checks. There are suspicions that she may have boarded a chartered plane which allowed her to skip the usual Immigration process and directly proceed to the gate. This has prompted Senate President Chiz Escudero to propose the creation of a general aviation terminal that would require private plane passengers to pass through proper checks that regular airport passengers need to go through.

President Marcos has ordered a full-scale investigation, saying, “The departure of Alice Guo has laid bare the corruption that undermines our justice system and erodes public trust.”

Promising that “heads will roll,” the President also said, “We will expose the culprits who have betrayed the people’s trust and aided in her flight,” adding that “those responsible will be suspended and will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. There is no room in this government for anyone who places personal interest above serving the Filipino people with honor, integrity and justice.”

The disappearance of Alice Guo right from under our very noses is no laughing matter as it goes to show that we are facing an extremely serious national security situation. Many agree that Alice Guo would not have been able to leave the country without the complicity of corrupt officials from the Bureau of Immigration, which intelligence sources clearly indicate to be at the root of the problem.

Time and again, reports have come out about the endemic corruption that seems to pervade the bureau, like the alleged issuance of prearranged employment visas to thousands of foreign nationals for fake local companies. Let’s not forget, corrupt BI officials also moonlight as “escort service” agents who, for as little as P10,000, facilitate a special no-screening entry for Chinese and other foreigners who subsequently obtain fake Filipino birth certificates and IDs.

Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla has vowed accountability for anyone who assisted Guo or allowed her to leave the country illegally. There should be no letup in the efforts to identify those responsible for this travesty. The government should make an example of these people who continue to cooperate and collaborate with those who seek to undermine the security of this country.

To those who continue to doubt the security risks that we face – wake up and stop these influence operations from pulling the wool over your eyes. Now more than ever, we must get ourselves together because of the continuing aggression that we face as seen in the recent incident near Escoda Shoal where Chinese Coast Guard ships rammed two Philippine Coast Guard vessels that were on a supply mission to Filipino personnel stationed in Patag and Lawak islands.

Despite these continuing risks and challenges, we can take comfort in the fact that many if not all of our international partners and friends are one with us in condemning this kind of aggression not only in disputed territories but as well as the entire Indo-Pacific region.

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