Marcos on selfies with Alice Guo: That's part of the new culture

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said he sees nothing wrong with taking selfie photos with dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo after senators called out Philippine government agents who posed for such pictures with her.

Speaking to reporters, Marcos expressed belief that there's more to taking photos with Guo, who is facing human trafficking and money laundering complaints in the Philippines.

"I think that is part of the new culture now na nagpapakuha ng kahit ano kasi po-pose nila, tingnan mo, oh nakasama ko sa team na nag-aaresto..." Marcos said.

(I think that is part of the new culture now, that we ask for any photo. When they pose for shots, [it's like they're saying,] look, I'm part of the arresting team.)

"Ang tawag natin sa Pilipinas, we are the selfie capital of the world 'di ba? Oh 'di nag-selfie, eh, hindi mo naman pigilan ang tao na ngumiti... They just had a selfie, I don't think there's more to it than that," he added.

(We are called the selfie capital of the world, right? When we have selfies, we can't stop a person from smiling... They just had a selfie, I don't think there's more to it than that.)

In a viral group photo, Guo was seen smiling while in the company of some agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and Bureau of Immigration (BI) while she was being escorted to Indonesian immigration before her return to Manila on early Friday.

Senator Risa Hontiveros, who is leading a Senate investigation into Guo's alleged ties to illegal criminal activities, said the former mayor should not be treated like a celebrity.

She likewise slammed what appeared to be a "fan meet" with Guo.

"We want answers, not a photoshoot. Matapos nyang makipagtaguan sa batas, ginawa namang fan-meet nitong si Alice Guo ang pagkakaaresto niya. Kulang na lang, red carpet," Hontiveros said in a press statement Thursday.

(After she tried to escape, Alice Guo even turned her arrest into a fan meet.)

"Tingnan natin kung gaano sya ka-photogenic sa hearing sa Lunes. Unli-pictures siya doon," she went on.

(Let's see how photogenic she is at the Senate hearing on Monday. Unlimited photos of her will be taken there.)

Hontiveros likewise reminded the government agents not to treat the arrest of a fugitive as a "social event."

"Hindi dapat ginagawang social event ang pag-aresto sa isang puganteng sangkot sa patong-patong na kaso ng human trafficking, money laundering, fake identity, gross misconduct, illegal recruitment and detention, at corruption," she said.

(The arrest of a fugitive involved in multiple cases of human trafficking, money laundering, fake identity, gross misconduct, illegal recruitment and detention, and corruption should not be turned into a social event.)

"Pinaglaruan ni Alice Guo ang mga batas ng Pilipinas at ginamit niya ang posisyon niya para makapag-operate ang mga POGO na naging sangkot sa kidnapping, murder, human trafficking, at prostitution," she emphasized.

(Alice Guo exploited the laws of the Philippines and used her position to enable the operation of POGOs involved in kidnapping, murder, human trafficking, and prostitution.)

Also expressing dismay was Senator Joel Villanueva, who called out these government agents for their "unprofessional" actions.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian echoed the opinion of Villanueva on Philippine law enforcers being "unprofessional" during the time that Guo's custody was being transferred to the Philippine authorities.

"Dapat magpakita ng professionalism and proper decorum ang lahat ng alagad ng batas lalo na sa pag-aresto ng mga pugante," Gatchalian said in a Viber message to reporters.

(All law enforcers should exhibit professionalism and proper decorum, especially when arresting suspects.)

"Talagang hindi maganda na nagpapa-selfie at ipino-post pa sa social media ng mga enforcers ang pictures na kasama nila ang isang kriminal. Hindi pwede palagpasin ng mga enforcement agencies natin ang ganitong asal," he added.

(It's really unbecoming for enforcers to take selfies with criminals and then post those pictures on social media. Our enforcement agencies cannot let this kind of behavior slide.)

Hontiveros and Gatchalian are at the forefront of the Senate investigation into Guo's alleged involvement in the raided POGO hub in Bamban, Tarlac.

There was also a photo where Guo was smiling and doing a "peace sign" with Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos Jr. and PNP chief Rommel Marbil.

In a press briefing upon their arrival in the Philippines from Indonesia with Guo, Abalos explained that the photo with Marbil and Guo which has gone viral and criticized by many netizens, was taken for documentation purposes. It shows him and Marbil with a candid-looking Guo sitting between them.

He said that he was unaware that Guo was posing candidly when the photo was being taken.

Meanwhile, NBI Director Jaime Santiago deferred to Abalos and Marbil when asked to comment on the picture-taking with Guo, which involved some of their agents.

"Wala ako personal knowledge on what transpired in Indonesia," Santiago told GMA News Online in a Viber message. 

For his part, Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) spokesperson Dr. Winston Casio said that it was “very unfortunate and should not have happened.”

“You don’t do that to an ordinary criminal. You did that to someone high profile, then that’s very unfortunate. Mali ‘yung optics na binibigay noon sa taumbayan,” Casio said in an ambush interview when sought for comment.

(You don't treat a common offender that way. When you do that to a high-profile individual, it's very unfortunate. It gives the wrong image  to the people.) — VDV/AOL, GMA Integrated News