Lacson: Probe Guo ‘sleeper’ tell-all

Former Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson has called on relevant authorities to investigate the possibility that dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo is an asset of China, according to a self-confessed Chinese spy.

She Zhijiang, a gambling tycoon currently detained in Thailand, disclosed in an exclusive Al Jazeera documentary that Guo is a fellow spy.

He claimed they both dedicated their lives to China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS), which is solely responsible for Beijing’s foreign intelligence, counterintelligence and political security. The MSS is said to be one of the most powerful and secretive security agencies globally.

The documentary was among the crucial issues that arose during the recent inquiry by the House Quad Committee on Friday into the proliferation of criminal activities associated with Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators, in which Guo is heavily implicated.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Lacson commended the “excellent investigative work” of the committee in exposing Guo as a potential sleeper agent of China.

He urged the National Security Council (NSC), the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, and the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines to investigate the extent of She’s revelations.

In an interview over the weekend, NSC Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya stated they have yet to validate the information, considering that She is not entirely credible as a wanted criminal and leader of an international crime syndicate.

In the video, she stated that Guo Hua Ping, the former mayor’s alleged Chinese name, “cannot be trusted” and urged her to tell the world the truth “if you don’t want to be eliminated.”

She also claimed that Guo had asked her to fund her 2022 mayoral campaign and that she was aware of China’s spy operations in the Philippines.

A visibly irked Guo lamented that it was “unfair” of She to make such claims, asserting that she never sought campaign funding and categorically denied knowing She.

“I also want to convey to all my countrymen and the entire Philippines that I love this country,” Go told the committee.

Guo has repeatedly denied being a Chinese spy or asset and insisted that she is a natural-born Filipino, whose mother was named “Amelia Leal,” as indicated on her birth certificate.

The documentary, however, showed that Guo’s mother was a Chinese national named Lin Wenyi and that she was born in Fujian, China.