BI: Intel says Alice Guo left PH without passing immigration

Dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo slipped out of the country without passing through the Philippines' immigration authorities, Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco, citing intelligence information, said on Monday night.

Tansingco said the Bureau of Immigration received information Guo illegally traveled to Malaysia in July.

She allegedly then flew to Singapore with Sheila Guo and Wesley Guo.

“We received intelligence information from our counterparts abroad that Guo illegally left for Malaysia then flew to Singapore,” stated Tansingco.  She allegedly flew to Singapore with Shiela and Wesley on July 21. 

Tansingco made the statement a few days after arriving from an ASEAN meeting of immigration heads in Vietnam.

Tansingco said that while Guo’s name was listed on the Department of Justice's immigration lookout bulletin (ILBO), her supposed departure was not recorded in the BI’s system and centralized database.

The BI has presence at all regular international ports of entry and exit such as international airports and seaports, whereas informal exit points are managed and monitored by other aviation or maritime agencies.

Senator Risa Hontiveros earlier Monday said her information indicatd that Guo, who was also identified as Chinese national Guo Hua Ping, had left the country on July 18.

"I am now in receipt of information that in fact this person was already out of the country on July 18, 2024 to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Ipapakita ko po ang dokumentong ito, bilang patunay na pumasok sa Malaysia si Alice Guo.  Siya po ay pumasok ng 12:17:13 military time ng July 18..." Hontiveros said in a privilege speech during Senate's session.

[I am now in receipt of information that in fact this person was already out of the country on July 18, 2024 to Kuala Lumpur. She entered [Malaysia] 12:17:13 military time of July 18...]

According to the senator, Guo has used her Philippine passport to leave the country.

After going to Malaysia, Hontiveros, citing information from her sources, said that Guo went to Singapore to meet her father Guo Jian Zhong, mother Lin Wen Yi, her brother Wesley Ong and Cassandra Ong, the named representative of the raided POGO hub in Porac, Pampanga Lucky South 99.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, who actively participated in the investigation into Guo's background along with Hontiveros, disclosed that one of his office staff went to the law firm in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan which supposedly notarized Guo's counter-affidavit.

According to Gatchalian, the law firm exists but the lawyer who notarized Guo's counter-affidavit, Atty. Elmer Galicia, was not there when his staff visited them.

"Nakausap po ng staff po natin sa telepono at ang sabi po ni Atty. Galicia na si Guo Hua Ping ay pumunta sa kanya personally on August 14, 2024. So talaga pong may pinagluloko po tayo dahil parang lumalabas at bumabalik. At despite na meron pong arrest warrant ay hindi po ito pinapansin," he said.

Gatchalian suggested inviting Galicia in the next Senate hearing into the raided POGO hubs to find out if the lawyer was lying or Guo really appeared before him.

"Itong abogadong to ay dapat po maimbitahan para malaman ho natin ang katotohanan either siya ho 'yung nagsisnungaling at wala pong personal appearance o talagang balik-labas, balik-labas po ng ating bansa na lumalampas po sa Bureau of Immigration dahil hindi naman po makakalabas at makakabalik po ng ating bansa kung hindi po tinatatakan po yung kanyang pasaporte," he said.

(This lawyer should be invited in order for us to learn the truth, either he is lying and there is no personal appearance or they leave and enter the country several times without passing through the Bureau of Immigration since one cannot enter or exit our country without your passport being stamped.)

Gatchalian said that in the sworn counter affidavit that Guo filed on Aug.15 with the DOJ, an Atty. Elmer Galicia  was the notary public.

"He told our staff this morning that Alice Guo personally appeared in his office when said document was executed," the senator said to Nimfa Ravelo via Super Radyo dzBB. —NB, GMA Integrated News