Remulla orders NBI, Immigration to probe Guo’s escape

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Justice (DOJ) has ordered an investigation into the escape of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo after she was reported to have slipped out of the country undetected.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said he ordered the National Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to conduct a "thorough investigation" into the embattled mayor’s escape.

“I am issuing this final warning against erring BI personnel who may have had a participation in the escape of Guo despite strict restrictions imposed by our government, it’s either you come out and unveil the truth or wait until I personally get to the bottom of this where heads will roll and all hell will break loose,” Remulla said in a statement. 

Last month, the Justice department ordered an immigration lookout bulletin on Guo, days after her reported escape to Malaysia on July 17.

Guo’s escape was first revealed by Sen. Risa Hontiveros on Monday, saying that the former official traveled to Singapore to meet her parents Lin Wen Yi and Guo JianZhong.  

On Tuesday afternoon, the Immigration bureau confirmed that Guo is now in Indonesia. 

Stephen David, one of Guo's lawyers, said that he is confident that the dismissed official is still in the country. 

“We, as her counsel, have always relied on the assurances provided by our client that she is still in the Philippines. Thus, without further evidence to prove that she has indeed left the country, our reliance in good faith on the assurances by our client remains,” David said in a message to reporters. 

On Monday, DOJ spokesperson Mico Clavano said that there were reported sightings of Guo on July 18.

He also mentioned that the embattled mayor submitted a motion, along with a counter-affidavit to the DOJ on Friday, which had been notarized on August 14 in San Jose Del Monte City, Bulacan. 

The counter-affidavit was in response to the non-bailable qualified human trafficking charge filed against her, related to the Philippine offshore gaming operation (POGO) hub raid in her locality.

Although they waived their right to respond to the charges by failing to appear at the preliminary investigation on June 3, Clavano said that Guo's counter-affidavit filed in Bulacan is an appeal for its acceptance.

"Meaning the motion in effect is begging for us to accept her defense," Clavano said in a message to Philstar.com.

In a resolution dated August 12, the Ombudsman removed Guo from office as it was found that she “remained to be the real, true and actual President of Baofu Land Development Inc., and stands to benefit from the continued operations Hongsheng Gaming and Zun Yuan Technology Inc.”

Cancellation of passport

In a speech on Tuesday, Hontiveros called for the cancellation of Guo's Philippine passport after it was revealed that the dismissed mayor was using it during her escape. 

“It cannot be denied that this is indeed her because it matches exactly with her Philippine passport,” Hontiveros said in a speech.

If Guo’s passport is canceled, she cannot exit or enter any other country.

In a message to Philstar.com, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said that the Department of Foreign Affairs will cancel the dismissed mayor’s passport through a court order.

Meanwhile, Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra said that the petition for cancelation of Guo’s certificate of live birth filed by the Office of the Solicitor General last month will be a “key factor in the cancellation of her passport.”

It should be noted that a birth certificate issued by the Philippine Statistics Authority is one of the requirements for individuals who apply for a Philippine passport. 

In addition to the trafficking case, Guo is also facing tax evasion charges filed by the Bureau of Internal Revenue on August 14.

The charges stem from her failure to pay or file the capital gains tax and documentary stamp tax amounting to P500,000 related to the transfer of her shares in Baofu.

— with reports from Jean Mangaluz