PAOCC: Guo trying to sneak into Golden Triangle

MANILA, Philippines — Dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo is attempting to sneak into the Golden Triangle in mainland Asia to evade arrest, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) said yesterday.

PAOCC spokesman Winston John Casio said it is the most feasible destination of Guo as her family has business interests in the Golden Triangle.

“We are confident that she is trying to get into the Golden Triangle because the Guo family has business interests (and) gambling interests in Cambodia and so that would be the safest bet that we have as of this moment,” Casio said at a news forum in Quezon City.

The Golden Triangle is a region in Southeast Asia located along the Mekong River and has shared borders with Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand.

Casio pointed out the countries within the region have porous boundaries. He also noted the Golden Triangle is said to be teeming with transnational organized crimes.

Seeking refuge in China is unlikely for Guo, Casio said, noting the country’s strict rules against illegal gambling.

Guo is said to be currently staying in a hotel in Batam, Indonesia, according to Casio, based on the latest information from their foreign counterparts.

Casio further said that the dismissed mayor is seeking refuge in the hotel she’s staying in, but the Indonesian authorities are ready to apprehend her once she goes to a public place.

There are also reports that Guo’s brother Wesley is attempting to escape from Indonesia to Hong Kong.

Casio reported Guo and her companions were last sighted in a private resort on the western tip of Luzon last July 14. Authorities raided the area but she was already gone as her group left the resort using two speedboats.

From July 14 to 17, law enforcement agencies were in the dark about Guo’s location. It turned out she and her companions were already in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on July 18 and stayed until July 21.

Her group then went to Singapore before going to Indonesia, arriving in Batam on Aug. 18 aboard a ferry.

With the way Guo fled the country, Casio said it is likely that some private people and personalities in the government may have aided her.

Meanwhile, the Senate would grill Guo’s sister Sheila Guo and Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) staff Cassandra Li Ong on Tuesday regarding the identities of government officials who facilitated their escape last July 18, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said yesterday.

Gatchalian said Guo and Ong are expected to attend the public hearing of the tri-Senate committees on justice and human rights, women, children, family relations and gender equality and public services, anchored on the privilege speech of Sen. Risa Hontiveros.

“We will find out from Sheila and Cassandra who are the masterminds, who are the government officials who helped them or their accomplices in the POGO, who helped them fund the POGOs in Bamban and Porac (Pampanga) that have become nests of criminality and how wide is the operation,” Gatchalian emphasized, adding that their revelation could even lead to the arrest of Guo.

Intelligence funds

The House committee on appropriations is now out to review how the intelligence funds of agencies were used, saying the escape of Guo puts in question how the budget is being utilized.

Panel chair and Ako Bicol Representative Elizaldy Co also cited the cases of Kingdom of Jesus Christ founder Pastor Apollo Quiboloy and former Bureau of Corrections chief Gerald Bantag, who remain elusive from the law, indicating a failure of intelligence.

“These incidents are alarming because they raise serious questions on the use of funds for security and law enforcement,” Co said.

The lawmaker noted while these might seem “isolated incidents,” there is a need to review how intelligence funds are being utilized. — Cecille Suerte Felipe, Sheila Crisostomo