A former Philippine National Police chief may have helped dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo and her siblings escape from the country in July, a Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) official revealed on Tuesday.
Citing a “rumor” within the intelligence community, Pagcor senior vice president for Security and Monitoring Cluster Raul Villanueva, a retired general, made the revelation during the joint hearing of the Senate Committees on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality; on Migrant Workers; and Public Order and Dangerous Drugs into the raided POGO hub in Bamban and Guo’s alleged link to it.
“They were talking about border immigration, I just don’t know the exact amount, including (who) the PNP official (was). But I still can’t confirm that,” Villanueva told the senators.
Guo, who is at the center of the Senate investigation for her alleged involvement in the POGO firm in her town, confirmed that she left the country in July after supposedly receiving death threats.
She earlier claimed that she left the country on several boats, including a yacht, with her siblings Sheila and Wesley in their escape to Malaysia.
Senator Risa Hontiveros, who is spearheading the Senate investigation, sought more information from Villanueva about the PNP official who helped Guo escape in exchange for P200 million.
“Which PNP units were mentioned in the hearsay?” Hontiveros asked Villanueva to which he clarified that it was not units but rather personalities.
“I think it was mentioned that it was a former chief PNP,” he said.
Hontiveros prodded Villanueva to divulge the name of the former PNP chief, but he said his information was limited to the position the person held.
“I don’t know, but they said it was a former chief PNP,” he said.
For its part, the PNP said it had yet to conclude its investigation into whether a former chief was involved in Guo’s escape.
“On the part of the PNP, so far we have no reports regarding any PNP personnel being bribed. However, our intelligence community continues to coordinate with other agencies to determine if there were any PNP personnel involved. We will file the necessary cases if we obtain any evidence,” said Raul Tacaca, deputy director for Administration of the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.
On hearing this, Hontiveros expressed disappointment about the apparent reliance of law enforcement agencies on the Senate investigation, particularly on the escape of the Guo siblings.
“You were the only one who mentioned that as early as August 14 you already knew, and on August 15, you informed the BI. Whereas all the other agencies only said they found out on August 19 when I made a manifestation,” she said.
“It’s as if our intel agencies are relying on the Senate for intelligence. I cannot believe it, and I don’t want to believe it. Because if that’s truly the state of our intelligence, we’re in trouble,” she added.
Former PNP chief in Guo’s payroll
At this point, Hontiveros asked Villanueva more questions about the PNP chief’s supposed participation in Guo’s escape.
Villanueva said the intelligence community was currently validating the information.
“I think they are validating it right now. I even went to the NICA [National Intelligence Coordinating Agency] last week, but there’s no information about it,” he said.
“The rumor there is that he was in her payroll. He had been in her monthly payroll ever since,” he added.
Hontiveros then turned to the National Bureau of Investigation and NICA to ask if they had received any information regarding the matter.
NBI Investigation Service Assistant Director lawyer Angelito Magno refused to comment, saying only it was part of their investigation and intelligence gathering.
“In the ongoing backtracking and investigation, we are conducting, we are also looking into that,” he told the senators.
NICA Director Ferlo Silvio gave the same answer, adding that they were working with law enforcement agencies in Malaysia and Indonesia.
“Generally, I cannot provide the specific progress but there are ongoing discussions between our liaison officers and the police attachés of two posts, Malaysia and Indonesia. For now, if ever, I’m sorry, I cannot comment on the new statement given by General Villanueva but rest assured, NICA will provide updates on the developments,” Silvio said.
‘Bato’ says he’s not the one
Amid allegations that a former PNP chief helped dismissed Mayor Alice Guo escape the country in exchange for money, Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa sought to distance himself from the claims during the Senate hearing.
Dela Rosa, who served as PNP chief under former President Rodrigo Duterte, questioned Guo directly, asking if he was the former PNP chief in question.
“Can we know who this former Chief PNP is? I am concerned because I am a former Chief PNP. I’m worried that a script might come out suggesting that Bato is receiving money from you,” he said in Filipino.
Guo denied the existence of any payroll for police officers. “There’s nothing like that happening,” she responded.
Dela Rosa further pressed Guo to confirm if they had ever met outside official functions. Guo assured him, “Never… I’m sure.”
He also inquired if there were any photos or selfies with her to further disassociate himself. Guo responded that there were none.
Dela Rosa then asked Villanueva to reveal the identity of the former PNP chief, but Villanueva stated he had no confirmation yet. “But I’m sure you’re not the one, I think,” Villanueva said.
Dela Rosa thanked Villanueva, expressing relief. “Thank you, thank you if [you think] I’m not the one. That’s all. I just wanted to make sure,” he concluded.
BI still working on report
Prior to this, Hontiveros pressed the Bureau of Immigration about reports that their officials had also helped facilitate the escape of Guo and her siblings.
BI Intelligence Division Chief Fortunato Manahan Jr. said the agency was still conducting an internal investigation into the matter.
“The BI is still undergoing its internal investigation, and rest assured that after the investigations or conclusions are finalized, we will submit them to this committee,” Manahan told the panel.
He said that part of their investigation is to look into whether immigration personnel were involved in Guo’s escape, adding that it was possible Guo left the country by air.