In response to the reported departure of fired Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo, who has been connected to offshore illegal gaming operations, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared on Wednesday to “heads will roll.”
The President emphasized that Guo’s departure “laid bare” the corruption in the country’s legal system that “erodes public trust.”
“Let me be clear: Heads will roll,” Marcos stated via his Facebook page.
“We will expose the culprits who have betrayed the people’s trust and aided in her flight. A full-scale investigation is already underway, and those responsible will be suspended and will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” he said.
“There is no room in this government for anyone who places personal interest above serving the Filipino people with honor, integrity and justice,” the President stated.
The passports of ousted Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo, her siblings Wesley and Sheila Guo, and businesswoman Cassandra Ong were earlier cancelled by the Office of the President.
“Under Republic Act No. 11983, also known as the ‘New Philippine Passport Act’, the DFA Secretary may cancel a passport in the interest of national security. Under the same law, one of the grounds for the cancellation of a Philippine passport is when the court issues an order for its cancellation as the holder is a fugitive from justice,” Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin explained.
Shortly after the Bureau of Immigration announced that Guo had left the Philippines, where she was charged with human trafficking due to her connections to a POGO business in her hometown, Bersamin issued her order.