Escudero: Alice Guo has no position to tell senators what to prioritize

Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero on Friday took a swipe at suspended Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo for issuing a statement asking why senators seemed fixated on her instead of focusing on "critical issues" such as food shortage and lack of healthcare, among others.

While Escudero acknowledged that Guo has the right to issue statements, the Senate president said the embattled mayor should "not force" her personal interests to the minds of lawmakers.

"Karapatan niya 'yon. Karapatan niyang sabihin 'yon. Pero para sa akin, wala siya sa lugar pagsabihan sinumang miyembro ng Senado kung ano ang prayoridad sa isip nila at ano ang dapat nilang hindi maging prayoridad," Escudero said.

"Siyempre siya ang tinatamaan, siya ang naatake dito sa isyung ito. Siyempre unawain nating pagtatanggol niya palagi 'yung sarili niya, pero hindi rin niya pwedeng ipwersa 'yung kanyang personal na interes at kaisipan sa interest at kaisipan at pananaw ninuman, higit pa sa sinumang miyembro ng Senado," he added.

(That's her right to say that. But for me, she is not in a position to tell any member of the Senate what should and should not be their priorities. Of course she is the one who is being attacked in this issue. It can be understood that she will always defend herself. But she cannot force her personal interests and point of view to the minds of anyone, especially any member of the Senate.)

Escudero, a lawyer, mentioned a principle in law that "flight is an evidence of guilt" when asked how he sees Guo's continuous evasion of the Senate's arrest order.

"Intindihin niya na wala siya sa lugar na mamili kung anong pupuntahan at hindi pupuntahan base sa kanyang personal na ideya. Kung nag-issue ng warrant ang Senado, dumaan ‘yan sa proseso, may pinagdaanang mga rason din ‘yan bago naman na-issue yung warrant," he said.

(She must understand that she has no position to choose which forum she will attend based on her personal idea. If the Senate issued a warrant, that is because it went through a process and there are reasons behind its issuance.)

"At saka bakit nga ba tuwing may mga ganitong usapin sa Senado ang sinasabi palagi parang hindi naman nagbago ‘yun ay sa proper forum kita haharapin. Narinig na natin ‘yan, ‘di ba? Tapos nung nag-issue ng warrant 'yung korte, hindi rin naman nagpakita roon. So ‘wag na tayo magulat kung saka-sakali sa mga ganyang uri ng hirit o salita kaugnay ng  hindi pagdalo o pagdalo sa Senado o sa pagdinig man ng korte kapag may naisampa nang kaso," he went on.

(And why is it that during this kind of Senate hearing, they always say meet in the proper forum? We've heard those before. And when the court issued a warrant, still a no-show. So we should not be surprised by those tactics.)

Allergic to liars

Earlier in the day, Senator Risa Hontiveros also refuted Guo's statement, saying they are not fixated on her. They are just allergic to liars.

Hontiveros, who leads the Senate investigation into the raided POGO hub in Guo’s town, slammed the embattled mayor for issuing statements on Facebook instead of facing the allegations raised against her during the hearings.

The Senate has already ordered Guo’s arrest for failing to show up in the probe into the raided POGO hub in Bamban.

On Thursday evening, Guo issued a statement saying her absence in the last two Senate hearings was because she is prioritizing her health and peace of mind.

"While multiple open cases have been filed against me, I am deeply concerned about and keep questioning why Senator Win Gatchalian, Senator Risa Hontiveros, and the other offices seem fixated on me. If they have evidence against me, I am ready to face them in a fair trial and at a proper forum," Guo said.

"Am I really the country’s biggest problem that they need to focus on? Or is just because they are gaining popularity at my expense that they will not leave me alone?" she quipped.

In the same statement, Guo also denied involvement in the supposed threats against Senator Sherwin Gatchalian and having a Chinese passport.

Guo, who is currently suspended from her post, has been the subject of a Senate inquiry in connection with alleged illegal activities in the raided POGO in Bamban.

Senators have also questioned her identity following inconsistencies with her answers regarding her nationality and personal life.

The National Bureau of Investigation has earlier confirmed that Guo's fingerprints are identical with that of Chinese national Guo Hua Ping.

Out of Philippines?

Meanwhile, Escudero said that he would not be surprised if Guo had already departed from the Philippines using a Chinese passport, but stressed that this would be negligence on the part of the Bureau of Immigration.

"Hindi ako magugulat pero dagdag kapabayaan na naman iyan kung saka-sakali sa Bureau of Immigration kung nangyari nga iyan," Escudero said.

(I won't be surprised anymore but that would be additional negligence on the part of the Bureau of Immigration if that really happened.)  

While there's no hold departure order yet against Guo, Escudero said the embattled mayor should be on BI's lookout bulletin.

Early this week, Guo’s legal counsel, Attorney Stephen David, said the embattled mayor is still in the Philippines.

“Nakausap ko siya kahapon pero hindi ko alam kung saan siya. Pero 100% nasa Pilipinas siya. 'Yun ang sinabi niya sa akin,” Guo’s lawyer Atty. Stephen David told GMA Integrated News’ Unang Balita in an interview.

(I talked to her yesterday but I don't know where she is. But she is 100% in the Philippines. That's what she told me.)

“Sabi nga niya sa akin, paano naman siya makakalabas ng Pilipinas may lookout order siya at saka ang higpit ng mga airports natin. Ayaw ko namang insultuhin ang ating mga Immigration na kaya silang palusutan ng isang tao,” he added.

(Like what she told me, how can she leave the Philippines? She has a lookout order and our airports are strict. I don't want to insult our [Bureau of] Immigration that someone can evade them.)

Meanwhile, Escudero stressed that the current Senate investigation showed the "shortcomings of the government."

He specifically mentioned the Philippine Statistics Authority over the birth certificates with false information, the Bureau of Immigration's failure to monitor and deport foreigners who are working in the country but are using tourist visas, and Department of Foreign Affairs over the "disjoint" between the agency and the BI in monitoring the number of visas issued to foreigners. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News