Gov’t must find out who helped Alice Guo leave PH — lawmakers

Senator Risa Hontiveros has revealed information that dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo is already in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. PHOTO FROM RISA HONTIVEROS FB FAGE

MANILA, Philippines — The government must find out who helped dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo leave the Philippines as heads must roll over this fiasco, according to lawmakers from the House of Representatives.

In a press briefing on Tuesday, Zambales 1st District Rep. Jefferson Khonghun said he is sure that somebody from the government helped Guo leave the country as she cannot flee on her own.

Senator Risa Hontiveros revealed in a privileged speech on Monday that Guo left the country for Malaysia last July.

The Department of Justice said they believed Guo was still in the country, but intelligence reports later on confirmed that she left illegally.

READ: BI: Alice Guo flew out of PH illegally based on intel

“It’s saddening, right? And she was able to leave the country, as Senator Risa Hontiveros said, Alice Guo was in Malaysia and then in Singapore, and this should be investigated because she cannot leave the country if she did not shed grease money for officials of the government, especially the Bureau of Immigration,” Khonghun told reporters.

“I also do not believe that the Bureau of Immigration does not know anything because of course, their agency is responsible for monitoring our ports and airports. So I hope this will be investigated and people behind this will be held accountable because I believe Alice Guo cannot do this on her own,” he added.

Lanao del Norte 1st District Rep. Mohamad Dimaporo said “heads must roll” and the hearings on issues involving Guo, like the Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos), should continue.

“We need to know how she escaped. This investigation will not stop until we have done our duty to ensure that these Pogos, Chinese nationals illegally entering our country, establishing illegal activities and organizations entering our government under fake names, etcetera must continue,” he said.

“But it’s really disappointing that she was able to escape. So yes, heads must roll. Where did she escape?  Naia (Ninoy Aquino International Airport)? A private airport? Did she take a boat? All of those things. We find out exactly how she escaped our country and heads must roll,” he added.

Earlier, Justice Undersecretary Margarita Gutierrez said Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla ordered a probe into Guo’s departure. Gutierrez also said anyone who helped Guo should be held liable.

READ: DOJ vows accountability for those who aided Alice Guo’s exit

Guo was brought to the spotlight after the Senate launched an inquiry on the raided Pogo hub in Bamban.

Guo’s ties to the Bamban Pogo were established after the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) accused her of having business interests in Baofu Land Development Inc.

Baofu owns the land where the raided Bamban Pogo sits, and Guo was the president of the company.

The DILG said Baofu purchased eight parcels of land in Bamban in February 2019.

Guo claims to have divested ownership of Baofu, but the DILG believes the amount she divested it for — P2.5 million — was “grossly incongruent to her investment on Baufo which is approximately eight hectares of land.”

READ: DILG files graft charges vs Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo

Last Aug. 13, the Office of the Ombudsman ordered the dismissal of Guo for grave misconduct over her “willful attempt to violate the law” as a public official who owned the sprawling property behind the Bamban Municipal Hall that housed the raided Pogo.

Guo was perpetually disqualified from reentering government service and her retirement benefits were forfeited.