Shiela Guo unreliable, can’t be state witness —Remulla

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla on Wednesday said he does not believe that Shiela Guo, the purported sister of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo, could be a state witness as he found her to be unreliable.

“Hindi reliable eh (she’s not reliable),” Remulla said in an ambush interview at the Senate after a budget hearing when asked if Shiela could be a state witness.

“‘Yung reliability nung kanyang mga sinasabi ang problema natin eh. Hindi siya reliable witness so far. Kailangan talaga patunayan na kailangang-kailangan ‘yung kanyang testimonya upang mangyari ang lahat,” he added.

(The reliability is the problem here. She’s not a reliable witness so far. It needs to be proven that her testimony is really needed for this to happen.)

Last week, the National Bureau of Investigation said that Shiela Guo is a Chinese citizen named Zhang Mier who “fraudulently acquired” a Philippine passport.

During the Senate hearing on Tuesday, Guo admitted that she was not born in the Philippines but in China and that she only arrived in the country in 2001 when she was brought by her foster father to help in his business. 

Meanwhile, she repeatedly denied knowing about the operations of the raided POGO in Bamban as well as the location of her supposed sister.

Remulla said it seemed like Shiela was attempting to mislead authorities.

“Parang ganun nga eh, parang ganun eh. Marami siyang ‘hindi ko alam, hindi ko alam.’ Eh, parang hindi ako makapaniwala na hindi niya alam kasi matagal na siya sa Pilipinas. Nakakabasa naman siya ng mga road sign kung nasaan sila,” he said.

(It’s seems like that. She keeps saying, ‘I don’t know, I don’t know.’ But I can’t believe that because she’s been here in the Philippines for a long time. She can read the road signs to see where they are.)

He said that they cannot believe everything that she said.

Earlier, Justice Undersecretary Nicky Ty expressed belief that Shiela could be a state witness. 

“Ako, ayaw ko naman pangunahan ano, pero qualified siya eh (I don't want to get ahead of myself, but she's qualified.),” Justice Undersecretary Nicky Ty said in an ambush interview when asked on the matter.

“Kasi kung tutuusin mo, hindi naman siya ‘yung pinaka may pakana nitong illegal na bagay. Kung maniniwala tayo kahapon sa mga asta niya eh parang nadamay lang siya or napahamak lang siya ng mga kasamahan niya,” he added.

(If you'll think about it, she isn't the mastermind behind this illegal activity. If we will believe her, it seems like she was just dragged into it or was brought into it by her companions.)

According to Ty, the DOJ and the courts will determine who may be a state witness. 

Remulla also said he did not believe that Alice Guo would ride a fishing boat for three days in order to reach Sabah.

“Saan ka ba matutulog sa fishing boat? Tatlong araw kang sasakay doon. Eh napakasungit pa ng dagat. Kaya ba nila 'yun? Sobrang hirap naman noon. Kaya hindi ako naniniwala sa kanilang mga sinabi,” he said.

(Where will they sleep on the fishing boat? They rode that for three days. The sea is unforgiving. Could they have managed it? That’s really difficult. That’s why I don’t believe her.)

During the Senate hearing Tuesday, Shiela confirmed that they left the Philippines via several boats. 

She said they first rode a small white boat before transferring to a bigger boat, which she said appeared to be a fishing vessel. She said she believed the trip took three to four days.

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

The National Prosecution Service (NPS) has recommended the filing of charges against Shiela and Cassandra Li Ong, the authorized representative of the raided POGO hub in Porac, Pampanga.

It recommended charges be filed against Shiela for disobedience to summons issued by the Senate as well as for allegedly using a fake Philippine passport.—AOL, GMA Integrated News