Immigration admits low morale after Marcos' scolding over Guo escape

MANILA, Philippines — Bureau of Immigration (BI) spokesperson Dana Sandoval admitted that the mood in the agency is somber following President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s rebuke of the agency over the escape of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo and her siblings.

Sandoval noted that they still have no information regarding the supposed immigration officers who helped in their escape.

“We will continue with our work because we also want to know the truth so that those who are involved in this scheme will face justice,” Sandoval said.

“Whoever is connected with this is tarnishing the name of the agency as a whole,” she added.

Sandoval said the BI would not hesitate to file charges against anyone involved in the matter.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said he still suspects some BI personnel helped in the Guo sibling’s escape from the Philippines in July, saying the investigation on the matter is still ongoing.

Remulla recalled the so-called pastillas scam that allowed the illegal entry of Chinese visitors, escorting them through immigration screening, in exchange for money.

“They sneak people in like what the pastillas gang did and they sneak people out. That’s why we know that people at the immigration are doing that, so that’s what we’re looking at now,” he said.

The justice secretary, however, said he has not yet talked to BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco about his suspicions on the possible involvement of immigration personnel in Guo’s exit from the country.

Remulla added that Tansingco allegedly failed to notify the DOJ on the developments on Guo’s escape.

“When this was happening, he did not tell me immediately. Maybe, he already knew about it before we found out. That’s why we’re not talking now. It’s wrong of him not to inform the DOJ secretary about developments in his agency,” Remulla said, referring to Tansingco.

Guo’s purported sister Shiela earlier told a Senate hearing that they left the Philippines through a series of boat trips until they got to Malaysia.

Shiela said they were taken from their farm in Bamban and transported in a van to a port, where they boarded a fishing vessel for a three- to four-day journey to Sabah, Malaysia.

Remulla, however, said he is skeptical of such claims, saying traveling by boat to Malaysia is riddled with challenges, including potential encounters with pirates in the South China Sea.

He expressed belief that they likely used a chartered flight, adding that the DOJ is coordinating with the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) to investigate the matter.

“We are checking all CAAP records, including flight logs and records of private chartered planes. This is still under investigation,” the DOJ chief said.

Meanwhile, the quad committee of the House of Representatives yesterday served notice that they would invite Guo to their ongoing probe about unlawful activities of POGOs.

Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, presiding officer of the joint panels, declared that they would extend an invitation to Guo to serve as one of their resource persons.

Meantime, Sta. Rosa, Laguna Rep. Dan Fernandez said the probe has unearthed a network of “powerful people” behind the interconnected operations among POGOs, illegal drug syndicates, extrajudicial killings and a host of other crimes.

In his opening statement at the start of the fourth hearing yesterday, he lamented that key personalities behind the criminal organization of POGOs continue to evade the long arm of the law.

“By now, there can be no doubt in anyone’s mind that powerful people are behind this large-scale, multibillion-peso criminal enterprise involving drug trafficking, POGOs and extrajudicial killings,” Fernandez, who chairs the House committee on public safety, declared.

“The fact that several key personalities of POGO corporations have managed to evade the long arm of the law speaks volumes of the power they wield and the resources at their disposal,” he added.

The findings of the committee have firmly established that Chinese nationals obtained Filipino citizenship by fraudulent means, then proceeded to acquire vast landholdings through businesses disguised as Filipino-owned corporations, according to the senior administration lawmaker.

“In the course of our inquiry, I believe that one thing will eventually be made clear: that drug money is the source of POGO money, and that POGO money is a source of criminal activities, including EJKs,” Fernandez said.

He responded to those accusing the quad comm of playing politics, especially because the start and eventual proliferation of POGOs occurred during the term of former president Rodrigo Duterte, saying they will not stop the investigation no matter who is implicated.

“Be that as it may, this quad committee will not stop, we will not even blink, we will not be affected,” he continued.

In another development, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is terminating the preliminary investigation against dismissed Guo for alleged misrepresentation.

Comelec Chairman George Garcia pointed out that the poll body gave Guo sufficient time to file her counter-affidavit until yesterday.

“Let’s see what developments in the next few days, especially if she is brought back,” Garcia said, noting that the Comelec is already set to terminate the preliminary investigation since Guo failed to submit her counter-affidavit. – Janvic Mateo, Daphne Galvez, Delon Porcalla, Mayen Jaymalin