Jinggoy wants to probe Maslog’s possible link to Alice Guo escape

MANILA, Philippines — Mary Ann Maslog, a suspect in the 1998 textbook scam, may be instrumental in Alice Guo’s recent departure from the Philippines, according to Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada.

While the information remains unverified to date, Estrada said he learned the matter through a reliable source.

“This woman needs to be investigated — this Mary Ann Maslog and why she did this. Also, I heard from a reliable source that this woman also helped in the escape of Guo,” Estrada, in a mix of English and Filipino, told the media in a press conference on Wednesday.

The Senate’s second top official said Maslog is nothing more than a con artist who lies worse than Guo.

Later into the presser, the senator was pressed to disclose more detail on the information he received, with reporters particularly asking if these unverified reports were worth looking into.

“Pwede, kasi malapit si Mary Ann Maslog kay Mayor Calugay ‘di ba? Sabi niya she [is] very close to the mayor of Sual,” said Estrada.

(We might, because Mary Ann Maslog is close to Mayor Calugay. She said she is very close to the mayor of Sual.)

Estrada was pertaining to Sual, Pangasinan Mayor Liseldo “Dong” Calugay who was earlier tagged as Guo’s romantic partner.

Maslog, meanwhile, got involved into the Guo controversy because she was supposedly “tapped” by Gen. Romeo Macapaz, officer in charge of the Philippine National Police’s  Intelligence Group, to help convince Guo to surrender to the police.

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According to her, she was chosen by the intelligence group because she has an “access” to the dismissed Bamban mayor’s legal counsel Atty. Stephen David and she is also a friend of Calugay.

Maslog escaped conviction for graft in the 1998 textbook scam case by faking her own death. At the Senate panel on women’s Tuesday probe, Maslog introduced herself as a certain Jessica Francisco.