Senate still puzzled by Alice Guo, siblings' Malaysian port of entry

The Senate Justice and Human Rights Subcommittee had yet to identify the dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo's and her supposed siblings, Shiela and Wesley's, real Malaysian port of entry as immigration stamps on Shiela's passport showed "conflicting" information.

"Akala ko po isang hearing lang ang kailangan ng subcommittee na ito but unfortunately there are still even more questions than answers, so far," said subcommittee chairperson Senator Risa Hontiveros, as she suspended the first hearing of the investigation into the Guo siblings' escape from the Philippines.

(I thought this subcommittee only needed one hearing, but unfortunately, so far, there are still more questions than answers.)

"Ang lumalabas na conflict ay ito: on July 18th, Alice Guo and company entered Kuala Lumpur. But on [Shiela Guo's] passport, may tatak na Sabah na July 19. From Kuala Lumpur to Sabah, dapat din wala nang stamp because it's the same country. So how can she be also in two places at almost the same time?" Hontiveros asked.

(This is the apparent conflict: Alice Guo and her companions arrived in Kuala Lumpur on July 18th. But her passport bears a Sabah stamp dated July 19. Since Kuala Lumpur and Sabah are in the same country, there shouldn't be a stamp when traveling from one to the other. So, how could she be in two places at almost the same time?)

In her presentation, Hontiveros showed a copy of Shiela's passport which bears a stamp of Malaysian Immigration dated July 18. According to Hontiveros' office, it was stamped at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

The same passport also showed a stamp that Shiela entered Sabah on July 19, 2024.

Sabah is around 1,1620 kilometers away from Kuala Lumpur.

Last August 19, Hontiveros delivered a privilege speech disclosing that Alice had left the Philippines and arrived in Kuala Lumpur past midnight on July 18.

According to Shiela, she, together with Alice and Wesley, left the Philippines via several boat rides around on the first week of July.

The second boat ride took days before they transferred to a smaller ship going to Malaysia, she said.

Shiela mentioned a Chinese term for their destination in Malaysia, which Senator Risa Hontiveros said could be the Chinese name for the Sipadan Island in Sabah, Malaysia.

"And how did she leave the country? Sa Zambales ba, sa Sual [Pangasinan] ba?" Hontiveros further asked.

At the latter part of the hearing, Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said they were revalidating the information on the Guo siblings' entry into Malaysia.

"[W]e were trying to confirm the entry in Malaysia because there was information na 'yung prinesent po na 'yung sa immigration there was information received by NBI na medyo doubtful po 'yung authenticity. So, we have to revalidate and reconfirm this information," Tansingco said.

However, he did not elaborate if he was referring to the immigration record in Kuala Lumpur that Hontiveros showed during her privilege speech. — DVM, GMA Integrated News