SENATOR Risa Hontiveros said on Monday, August 19, 2024, that dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo is no longer in the country.
In a privilege speech during a Senate session, Hontiveros said Guo left the Philippines on the evening of July 17 for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia using her Philippine passport, based on information from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
She said another source gave her information that from Malaysia, Guo went to Singapore for a “reunion” with her family, particularly her father Guo Jian Zhong, mother Lin Wen Yi, her brother Wesley Ong, and Cassandra Ong, who was earlier named as the authorized representative of the raided Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (Pogo) hub in Porac, Pampanga Lucky South 99.
Hontiveros said Guo’s parents flew from China to Singapore on July 28.
“Who allowed this travesty to happen? Sino ang may kagagawan nito? Hindi makakaalis si Alice Guo kung walang tumulong sa kanya na mga opisyales ng pamahalaan. Para tayong ginisa sa sarili nating mantika. I have always believed that legislative hearings are policy-driven, kaya noong nag-announce na ng ban ang Pangulo, sabi ko, we have done our jobs, let law enforcement take the lead,” Hontiveros said.
(Who allowed this travesty to happen? Who is responsible for this? Alice Guo wouldn’t be able to leave if not for the help of government officials. It feels like we’ve been cooked in our own fat. I have always believed that legislative hearings are policy-driven, so when the President announced the ban, I said, we have done our jobs, let law enforcement take the lead.)
"Pero paano kung ang law enforcement mismo ang kelangan imbestigahan? What if they dropped the ball? Paano kung sila ang dapat managot? Nangako ang BI sa akin at sa Senate President Pro Tempore na hindi nila hahayaan si Guo Hua Ping na makaalis sa Pilipinas, eh yun pala ay wala na talaga siya," she added.
(But what if it is the law enforcement itself that needs to be investigated? What if they dropped the ball? What if they are the ones who should be held accountable? The BI promised me and the Senate President Pro Tempore that they wouldn’t let Guo Hua Ping leave the Philippines, yet it turns out she is already gone.)
Last week, the Office of the Ombudsman ordered Guo’s dismissal from the service after she was found guilty of grave misconduct in relation to her alleged involvement in the illegal Pogo.
She was meted the penalty of dismissal from the service with forfeiture of all her retirement benefits and perpetual disqualification to re-enter government service.
She and her family also have a standing arrest order issued by the Senate over their failure to participate in an ongoing probe against an illegal Pogo found in Bamban, Tarlac.
Guo is also facing charges of human trafficking before the Department of Justice as well as a quo-warranto petition filed by the Office of the Solicitor General.
The Commission on Elections also filed a complaint against her for allegedly misrepresenting herself, particularly about her nationality and other personal information, when she filed her certificate of candidacy for the 2022 local elections.
She also has a pending tax evasion case filed by the Bureau of Internal Revenue.
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) earlier ruled, following a fingerprint examination, that Guo is one and the same person as Chinese national Guo Hua Ping.
Guo denied the claims and maintained that she is a Filipino national. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)