Leaders at the House of Representatives want to launch an investigation into why dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo managed to allegedly escape the country, raising suspicions that she was in cahoots with some government officials, particularly in the Bureau of Immigration (BI).
Assistant Majority Leader Jefferson Khonghun believes Guo could not have fled the country without secret assistance from the “corrupt” BI officials, who are principally responsible for guarding airports and seaports.
“It is crucial to investigate this matter thoroughly and hold accountable those responsible," Khonghun told reporters in Filipino in a press conference on Tuesday. “We are not convinced that Alice Guo could have accomplished this without help, especially from the corrupt BI officials.”
Khonghun also emphasized the need to investigate the lawyers involved in her case, including the one who notarized her affidavit for the DoJ.
“There are many people, not just the BI who are involved. They need to answer what are their contribution, especially in the escape of Alice Guo,” Khonghun continued.
Senator Risa Hontiveros, who spearheaded the probe on the illegal operations of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations in Bamban, disclosed in a privilege speech on Monday that Guo, also identified as Guo Hua Ping, left the Philippines on 18 June for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval confirmed on Tuesday that Guo left the country on 16 July for Malaysia and then arrived in Indonesia from Singapore on 18 August.
Despite DoJ’s Immigration Lookout Bulletin issued in June, Guo managed to flee the country as her supposed departure was not recorded in the BI’s system and centralized database, according to Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco.
Backing Khonghun’s theory, House Deputy Majority Leader Jude Acidre also suspects government insiders might have had a hand in Guo's escape.
“It won't happen without the cooperation of a few in the government or someone in the government has failed,” he said in the same press conference.
“If the flight is indeed an admission of guilt, that means, regardless of the speculative allegations against Alice Guo, we can now say that there is truth in that. Otherwise, she wouldn't have left,” Acidre added.
Furthermore, Acidre underscored that the ongoing happenings involving POGO merely show how the industry had been “syndicated.”
“It's a syndicate effort with many in the government. We seem to see complicity as well. So, we need to know even more who should be responsible not only [because] Alice Guo left, but who will be responsible for why the Philippines in the previous administration seems to be a nest of crime,” Acidre lamented.
Lanao del Norte Rep. Mohamad Dimaporo, chairperson of the Committee on Muslim Affairs, is one with his colleagues in saying that “heads must roll” as she deemed Guo’s escape from the concerned authorities “really disappointing.”
Guo, who was dismissed from office by the Ombudsman earlier this month, has been at the centre of controversy due to her alleged links to illegal POGO operations in her town. Her citizenship as a Filipino is also a subject of hot debate.
She vehemently asserted that she is a Filipino notwithstanding the National Bureau of Investigation's findings confirming that her fingerprints matched that of Chinese passport holder Guo Hua Ping.