DISMISSED Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo insisted on Tuesday, September 24, 2024, of being a “victim,” as various government agencies continue to dig deep into the raided illegal Pogo hubs in Bamban and Porac, Pampanga.
During the continuation of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality’s inquiry into the illegal Pogo operations, Guo said she is willing to name those who are “most guilty” in relation to the raided illegal offshore gaming facility in Bamban during an executive session.
“Hindi po ako mastermind. Ang masasabi ko po isa po akong biktima,” she said.
(I'm not a mastermind. All I can say is that I am a victim.)
“Hindi naman po sa ginamit (ako). If ever po, kung meron man po akong naitulong, helpful po akong tao. Kung meron man po, yun lang po pero sa mga activities po na ginawa, sa mga allegations po, wala po akong kinalaman… Hindi po ako guilty…I think sa tagal po ng investigation (na ito) alam na rin po ng komite po who is really at the back of everything po,” she added.
(It's not that I was used. If ever I helped someone, it is because I'm helpful person. If there is anything that I did to help, that's all, but I have nothing to do with the activities that were done, with the allegations... I'm not guilty... I think during the investigation (this), the committee already knows who is really at the back of everything.)
The Zun Yuan Technology Inc. in Bamban was raided in March, resulting in the apprehension of hundreds of undocumented foreign workers, as well as the discovery of its involvement in illegal activities that include illegal detention, human trafficking, physical abuse, scamming and surveillance of government websites, among others.
In May, the Senate committee chaired by Senator Risa Hontiveros launched an investigation on the matter, centering on Guo, who admitted being among the owners of 7.9-hectare property leased by the firm.
She maintained, however, that she divested from owning the land shortly before she was elected as the mayor of Bamban.
Guo also admitted helping the firm acquire documentary requirements from the local government unit for the firm’s operation before and after she became the town’s mayor.
Among the highlights of the investigation is Guo's true nationality.
The National Bureau of Investigation ruled that Guo is one and the same person as Chinese national Guo Hua Ping, although she had repeatedly insisted that she is a Filipina who grew up on a farm in Bamban.
These revelations resulted in the filing of various charges against her, which include the qualified human trafficking, the reason for her current detention at the Pasig City Jail.
She was also ordered dismissed from government service in August by the Office of the Ombudsman for grave misconduct in relation to her alleged involvement in the illegal Bamban Pogo.
Guo also tried to escape the ongoing investigations against her and the Bamban Pogo but she was arrested in Indonesia on September 3, nearly two months after she reportedly left the country.
She said she left the country due to the threats she has been receiving amid the ongoing probe. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)