TIMELINE: The escape of Alice Guo and her siblings

It took a month before the Philippine government became aware that dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo and her siblings had left the country in July.

The group left despite a standing Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order (ILBO) issued against them, which required immigration officers to alert other authorities should Guo and company try to leave the country.

This raised the biggest question in everyone’s minds: How did they escape? Shiela Guo, one of the companions of the dismissed mayor, told a Senate committee the following timeline.

First week of July — Shiela said she met with Alice Guo and Wesley Guo at a farm in Bamban.

Shiela said that one night, the three of them were fetched by a van and they traveled southbound from dinner time to midnight.

The van brought them to a dock, where they rode a small white boat.

They then transferred to a bigger boat, which Shiela said appeared to be a fishing vessel that could accommodate many people.

According to Shiela, she believed that the trip took three to four days. 

After this, they moved to a smaller boat, which brought them to Malaysia.

July 19 — Senator Risa Hontiveros said that Shiela’s passport had a stamp that she arrived in Sabah. 

However, Hontiveros noted that this conflicts with other records that show that Alice Guo and her group entered Kuala Lumpur from Denpasar in Bali, Indonesia on July 18. 

“From Kuala Lumpur to Sabah, dapat din wala nang stamp because it's the same country. So how can she be in two places at almost the same time?” Hontiveros asked.

Meanwhile, Shiela said that she, Alice Guo, and Wesley Guo met up with Cassandra Li Ong in Malaysia.

July 21 — Alice Guo is spotted at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia before her flight to Singapore.

She is seen standing with an unnamed female companion. Guo was dressed in black, wore sunglasses, and carried several bags with a suitcase in tow.

July 28 —  Lin Wen Yi and Guo Jian Zhong flew in from China to Singapore.

Lin Wen Yi is the registered mother of Chinese passport holder Guo Hua Ping. The NBI has confirmed that Alice Guo and Guo Hua Ping have the same fingerprints. Meanwhile, Zhong is Alice Guo’s father.

August 16 — Hontiveros said Wesley Guo took the ferry from Singapore to Batam, Indonesia.

August 18 — Hontiveros said that Alice, Shiela, and Ong followed Wesley Guo to Indonesia. 

August 19 or 20 — Though unsure about the date, Shiela said that Alice left their hotel first. She said Guo refused to tell her where she was going.

According to Shiela, Ong was supposed to accompany her back to Singapore as she could not speak English. After flying to Singapore, she said they were supposed to head to Hong Kong.

August 22 — Shiela and Ong are intercepted by Indonesian authorities. They were brought back to the Philippines on the same day.

August 23 — The Bureau of Immigration said Alice Guo is still in Indonesia and has not attempted to leave the country.

August 26 — BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said Alice Guo was reported to be in Jakarta, Indonesia.

August 27 — During a Senate Subcommittee on Justice and Human Rights hearing, Shiela Guo confirmed that she, along with her siblings, dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo, and Wesley Guo, left the Philippines by riding several boats. She noted that she was not aware of Alice's whereabouts.

Shiela said she wanted to leave the country because she was saddened by the  Senate hearings into her alleged links to illegal Philippine Offshore  Gaming operations.

She also said Cassandra Li Ong, the named authorized representative of the raided POGO firm in Porac,  Pampanga, is Wesley Guo's girlfriend.

August 28 —  The Department of Justice (DOJ) undersecretary believed that  Shiela was qualified to be a state witness, which Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla argued against, noting that Shiela was unreliable.

Meanwhile, Hontiveros asked, "Is this another case of stolen identity?" after Shiela Guo admitted that she was born in China and Alice Guo was not her biological sister.

On the same day, the National Prosecution Service (NPS) recommended the filing of charges against Shiela Guo.

It also recommended charges be filed against her for allegedly using a false Philippine passport.

August 29 — The charges against Shiela Guo have been filed according to DOJ.

August 30 — A total of 87 counts of money laundering were filed against Alice and 35 others. In a press conference, Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC)  Deputy Director Adrian Arpon said the cases involved around P7  billion.

September 4 — Alice Guo was arrested in Indonesia, according to the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC). Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said that she was put in custody of the Indonesian Police at Jatanras Mabes Polri. 

Meanwhile, Alice Guo's lawyer, Atty. Stephen David denied that he made untruthful statements regarding her whereabouts.

Alice Guo is facing a human trafficking complaint over the raided  POGO hub. She asked the DOJ to dismiss the complaint, saying that the complainants failed to establish her participation in the crime of human trafficking.

A petition seeking to remove Guo from office has also been filed before a Manila court.

Guo has repeatedly said that she is a Filipino citizen.

September 5 —  Guo is expected to return to Manila early Friday morning after being formally turned over to Philippine authorities led by Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos and PNP chief Police General Rommel Marbil who traveled to Indonesia.

She will be directly transported to Camp Crame for a medical check up, according to the PNP.

Guo will later be turned over to the Senate as the upper chamber has an existing arrest warrant on her.

Senator Risa Hontiveros said Guo and her companions entered Kuala Lumpur before going to Sabah.

The senator noted that the passport of Shiela had a July 18 entry stamp in the Malaysian capital city via the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. 

Indonesian authorities are also now looking for Wesley Guo, Alice's brother, the BI said. But their legal counsel said that the brother of the embattled former public official wants to surrender to the authorities.

The AMLC, on the other hand, said that the dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor and her alleged cohorts may face from 609 to 1,218 years imprisonment if they would be convicted in the multiple counts of money laundering cases filed against them.

September 6 — Alice Guo arrived in the Philippines early Friday morning after being deported from Indonesia.

After Guo was turned over to the PNP and DILG, Abalos assured the public that there would be no special treatment for Guo.

She was then presented to the Capas, Tarlac Regional Trial Court Branch 109, where she did not post bail in her graft case. 

A commitment order was also issued for Guo's detention at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center in Camp Crame.

It was described as "ordinary" quarters; the white-walled room has a single bed with a metal frame, a small round table, monoblock chairs, and a plastic bucket with a dipper in the toilet. 

In a video posted on Abalos' Facebook account, Guo was heard saying, "Sec, patulong. May death threat po kasi ako (Sec, help me. There's a death threat against me)."

Her lawyer, Atty. Stephen David, said the threats were relayed to Guo by her family and associates.

September 7 - Alice Guo sent surrender feelers while she was in Indonesia, according to an official of the Bureau of Immigration. —Sherylin Untalan, Giselle Ombay and Vince Angelo Ferreras/LDF/DVM/KBK/RSJ/VBL, GMA Integrated News