MANILA, Philippines — Shiela Guo on Tuesday told the Senate that she left the country with dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo through the sea, but like her sister, she struggled to remember certain details.
Shiela made her first appearance at a Senate hearing after her detainment by Indonesian authorities.
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According to Sheila, she, Alice and their brother Wesley Guo exited the country through the waters but cannot determine her point of departure.
When asked by senators which port they left from, Shiela replied: “Hindi ko alam 'yung lugar (I do not know the place)."
Sen. Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa also asked if the Guo siblings departed from Manila or Mindanano and Shiela responded: “Saan po 'yung Mindanao? Hindi ko alam.” (Where is Mindanao? I do not know.)
Shiela claimed she could only remember that they were picked up by a van from their farm in Tarlac. Sen. Risa Hontiveros, who is leading the Senate inquiry into Alice's escape, asked if the siblings traveled to Zambales or Pangasinan but Shiela, like her sister, said she does not remember.
The respondent also said she could not recall the number of hours they traveled, or who drove the van.
According to Sheila, they rode a small white boat, then transferred to a larger boat. They got on around midnight and arrived early in the morning.
While appearing in Senate hearings, Alice Guo often displayed selective amnesia, struggling to recall basic details about her life.
Despite this, Guo and her associates evaded Philippine authorities for months. The dismissed Bamban mayor gained notoriety due to a high-profile Senate probe into her connections with Philippine offshore gaming operators.
The Senate issued arrest warrants for Guo and her associates after they repeatedly failed to attend hearings. Shiela and POGO incorporator Cassandra Li Ong were detained by Indonesian authorities and returned to the Philippines on August 22.