Guo negative for TB, stays in regular cell

Dismissed mayor is 44th occupant of Pasig jail cell built for 9

MANILA, Philippines — Negative for tuberculosis, dismissed Bamban mayor Alice Guo is now detained in a cell at the Pasig City Jail female dormitory with 43 other inmates, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) said yesterday.

“At 3:43 p.m., we received the negative test result for MTB (mycobacterium tuberculosis). PDL (person deprived of liberty) Alice Guo was transferred immediately to her assigned cell,” BJMP spokesman Supt. Jayrex Bustinera said.

“She will be sharing the cell with 43 other PDLs,” Bustinera added.

The cell, built to accommodate only nine detainees, has an industrial fan and comfort room. The female dormitory currently houses 135 detainees, way above the ideal capacity of 36.

Guo, along with several others, is facing the non-bailable charge of qualified human trafficking in violation of Republic Act 9208, as amended by RA 10364 and 11862.

She was transferred yesterday morning by the Philippine National Police-National Capital Region-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-NCR-CIDG) to the facility.

Guo underwent a medical examination for TB earlier yesterday, according to the BJMP. The former mayor also tested negative for COVID-19 and other medical risks.

Bustinera said Guo was wearing BJMP jogging pants, an orange t-shirt for inmates and a face mask.

Guo was received by the BJMP at 9:33 a.m. at the Pasig City Jail. She underwent X-ray courtesy of the PNP General Hospital before her confirmatory laboratory test.

Bustinera said they are also waiting for an update on the transfer Guo’s co-accused, who are coming from Tarlac Jail.

Guo can accept visitors from Tuesday to Friday, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and the whole Saturday and Sunday, which is BJMP’s regular hour for visitors of prisoners. Monday is a non-visiting day.

“Anytime, the doctors can visit the PDL if she has personal doctor, lawyer and spiritual adviser. Those are allowed as our rights,” Bustinera said.

He added that detainees are allowed to read books in the small library of the Pasig jail facility.

“Cellphones are strictly prohibited. Use of social media and internet are also prohibited. We have e-dalaw and e-conference in the hearing. Contrabands such as illegal drugs, intoxicating liquor are, of course, prohibited,” Bustinera said.

Moot

The Pasig Regional Trial Court (RTC) yesterday canceled the Sept. 27 hearing on Guo’s very urgent motion to transfer her back to the PNP-NCR-CIDG custodial center at Camp Crame in Quezon City.

In a third order dated Sept. 23, Pasig RTC Branch 167 Presiding Judge Annielyn Medes-Cabelis said hearing Guo’s very urgent motion to transfer her back to the NCR-CIDG custodial center is “moot.”

The lower court cited that Pasig City Jail Female Dormitory jail inspector Jocelyn Rino yesterday sent a letter through the court’s official email and was received by the court at 12:08 p.m. informing them that Guo, also known as Guo Hua Ping, was already committed to the Pasig jail facility.

“Consequently, the hearing of the subject motion is canceled,” the court said in its order.

It was last Thursday that the court directed Guo’s transfer from the PNP-NCR-CIDG custodial facility to the Pasig City Jail, which was implemented yesterday morning.

In seeking to remain at the Camp Crame custodial facility, Guo claimed that there was a threat to her personal security and safety.

Ready to transfer

The BJMP is ready to transfer Guo back to Camp Crame if it receives a court order, according to Bustinera.

“The order does not say anything about transferring her back. If there is a new order to transfer, then we will comply,” Bustinera said in a television interview.

Hours after Guo’s transfer, the Pasig RTC branch 167 ordered the PNP-NCR-CIDG custodial facility to hold in abeyance Guo’s transfer to the Pasig jail facility, citing a motion filed by her lawyer dated Sept. 21 to stop her transfer.

“While this court already issued a commitment order dated Sept. 19, 2024 directing the transfer of the custody of the accused-movant to the Pasig City Jail Female Dormitory, the chief of the PNP-NCR-CIDG custodial facility at Camp Crame, Quezon City is directed to hold in abeyance the transfer of the custody of the accused-movant pending the resolution of the subject motion,” Medes-Cabelis said.

“This is to safeguard the rights of the accused-movant and so as not to deprive her of the remedies that are available to her under the Rules of Court,” she added.

Guo’s lawyer Nicole Jamila said they are coordinating with authorities on Guo’s return to the custodial facility.

“As of today (yesterday), we will be coordinating first with the authorities because based on what we have discussed, the update was that the CIDG actually has physical custody of her,” Jamila said. “That’s why we have to confirm, coordinate with them how her return to the custodial facility will happen.”

7 Surrender

Meanwhile, seven individuals linked to Guo have surrendered to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and are now facing qualified human trafficking charges before the Pasig City RTC.

At a press briefing yesterday, NBI chief Jaime Santiago announced that five of Guo’s alleged co-conspirators surrendered at the NBI Central Luzon office.

At the same time, the remaining two turned themselves in to the agency’s Task Force Bamban.

Medes-Cabelis issued the warrant of arrest against Guo’s co-conspirators on Sept. 19 for charges of qualified trafficking under Section 4 (1) in relation to Sections 6 (c), (d), and (i) of RA 9208, as amended by RA 10364 and RA 11862.

The seven accused are Jamielyn Santos Cruz, president of POGO Zun Yuan Technology Center; Juan Miguel Alpas, treasurer of Zun Yuan; Roderick Paul Bernardo Puajante, secretary of Zun Yuan; Thelma Barrogo Requiro, president and chief executive officer of Hongshen; Hengshen treasurer Rita Sapnu Uyturralde; Rowena Evangelista and Rachelle Joan Malonzo Carreon.

The suspects surrendered to the authorities to clear their names, with some claiming that they had no direct involvement with Guo or knowledge of the alleged human trafficking activities, according to Santiago.

The NBI is set to submit the return of the warrant to the court and will await the commitment order, which will specify where the accused will be detained.

Chinese pilots?

Officials of the House of Representatives quad committee have directed the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) to investigate reports that “Chinese pilots” flew private chartered flights in Philippine airspace this year.

On behalf of the three other committee chairmen, presiding officer Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers also directed not just the CAAP, but also the Bureau of Immigration and the Bureau of Quarantine to check their records and investigate the “questionable flights.”

The special committee specifically mentioned the months of June to August this year as among the dates showing Chinese pilots manning private chartered planes, even as lawmakers continue investigating anomalies surrounding existence of illegal POGOs.

Meanwhile, the quad comm served notice that it would still hold hearings even after Congress goes on a break on Sept. 27, saying this would allow lawmakers to “get to the bottom of the interconnected issues” of POGOs, illegal drugs, money-laundering and extrajudicial killings in the past administration.

“We will continue holding hearings even during our break because we have seen the involvement of one syndicate, and we have seen as well the substantial involvements of several police generals in this case,” Manila 6th District Rep. Bienvenido Abante said.

“Unless otherwise we crush this syndicate that we have seen inside the Philippine National Police of police generals involved in drugs, among other things, the drug problem in the Philippines will remain unabated,” Abante pointed out.

The quad comm has so far carried out six marathon hearings, and the trail uncovered by Abante and his fellow House members has been long and wide

Abante, who chairs the House committee on human rights, said it would take more time for them to expose everything that needs to be exposed.

“I think the hearings will be extended a little more, but we would like to finish it ASAP because the filing of COCs (certificates of candidacy) is drawing near,” he said. — Mark Ernest Villeza, Delon Porcalla