Atty. Stephen David, counsel for dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo, stated today that his client assured him she is still in the Philippines.
David made this statement during a television interview on Tuesday morning, 20 August, amid reports that she had fled.
The lawyer said he had spoken with Guo on Monday, 19 August, when she informed him that she was still in the country. He admitted, however, that he didn't know her exact location.
“Of course I can't confirm that. Maybe their report has basis. But for me, I talked with my client, and she told me she is in the Philippines,” said David, adding that she assured him "100 percent" she is in the Philippines, making it difficult for him to agree with what Senator Risa Hontiveros is claiming.
During her privilege speech on Monday, Hontiveros disclosed that Guo, who has been identified as Chinese national Guo Hua Ping, had fled to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This was corroborated by Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) spokesperson Winston Casio, who added that Guo had been to three Southeast Asian countries including Indonesia.
Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco, citing intelligence information, also reported that Guo slipped out of the country without passing through Philippine immigration authorities.
Casio detailed Guo's supposed escape route: on 18 July, from Denpasar, Indonesia, to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, via Batik Air; on 21 July, 2024, from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Singapore via Jetstar Asia 686; and on 18 August, to Batam, Indonesia via ferry.
David challenged authorities to provide video evidence of Guo's travels.
Guo's legal counsel expressed his belief that Guo would eventually resurface "in due time" once she felt safe. He expressed his trust in the integrity of Atty. Elmer Galicia, who supposedly notarized Guo's counter-affidavit when she personally visited him on 14 August in San Jose Del Monte City, Bulacan.
The counter-affidavit was in response to the qualified human trafficking complaint filed against Guo concerning the raided Philippine Overseas Gaming Operator (POGO) hub in her locality, where over 800 foreign nationals were rescued.