Shiela Guo revealed that Alice Guo, the dismissed Bamban Mayor, left the country with her siblings using boats bound to Sabah, Malaysia last July.
According to Shiela in the joint Senate public hearing led by Sen. Risa Hontiveros, together with her siblings Alice and Wesley are picked up around 7 p.m. by a white van at their house on their farm in Bamban, Tarlac and travel for about five hours before they board a small white boat.
They were moved to a larger ship after traveling for several hours, which she identified as a fishing vessel because she saw fish and nets and traveled for approximately three to four days.
She stated that they had been staying in Malaysia, specifically in Sabah, for four days but were unsure of Sabah’s Location and that they were fetched by an unknown woman on July 21 heading for Singapore named Cassandra Li Ong, who then traveled with them to Indonesia.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian identified some inconsistencies in Guo’s statement when he asked her where they had been from the first weeks of July until July 18, when their passports were stamped upon crossing Malaysia’s Borders.
On August 18, they arrived in Indonesia and on August 19 to 20 Alice left to address something.
Senator Risa stated that those who facilitated Alice Guo’s escape will be held liable.
During the Senator’s questioning, she stated that Guo Jian Zhing was their father and that Alice Guo was her sister, but later admitted that he was not her actual father.
She arrived in 2004 and worked as an ordinary employee of an embroidery factory in Marilao Bulacan, but Guo refused to provide a definitive answer on who assisted her and Alice in obtaining their Philippine Identities.
She stated that she did not know about her fake Philippine Passport and it was given to her by her father.
Senator Ronald dela Rosa stated his insight and claimed that Guo was lying to the committees.
Alice Guo’s escape from the country was a huge shame as the entire world has become interested in the controversy and the Bureau of Immigration (BI), Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and the Philippines National Police (PNP)’s action was questioned by Sen. Gatchalian.
He stressed that law enforcement agencies should utilize their intelligence funds to track down criminals and monitor their movements.
Hontiveros expressed concern over the country’s ability to enforce border laws, describing the situation as disheartening and indicative of a troubling image.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) Undersecretary Nicolas Ty suspected that Guo’s group exited the country via Luzon and subsequently re-entered through the southern backdoor regions of Zamboanga, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-tawi (Zambasulta).
“When the news came out that Alice Guo had left the country, the theory of the DOJ was that she either traveled by air or across the sea. It’s good that Shiela Guo had revealed how they left the country.” Ty stated.
Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco stated that Guo’s testimony supported their theory that the Guo siblings left the country illegally, by passing formal inspections.
Guo is also currently facing deportation for being deemed undesirable and for misrepresenting herself as a Filipino national, as she was found to hold a valid Chinese passport under the name Zhang mier.
After the resolution of all pending criminal cases were filed against her and the completion of all other liabilities in the country, she would be deported.
“We are in close coordination with our Indonesian counterparts in monitoring the movements of Alice Guo,” the Immigration chief said.
He also added that similar cases could potentially be filed against Guo’s siblings when they return to the country.
Photo Courtesy: Senate of the Philippines