Active SIM card led Indonesians to Alice Guo's door

The trace on Alice Guo's active mobile phone SIM led Indonesian police to the townhouse where she was staying in Tangereng City, a Bureau of Immigration officer said in describing how the dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor was arrested earlier this week.

According to John Consulta's report on "24 Oras," the Indonesian authorities tracked the SIM in one of the hotels were Guo stayed.

“May tatlo siyang cellphone number na nakuha and may isang active number, at doon na na-track ang kanyang location,” said BI Fugitive Search Unit chief Rendel Sy. 

(She had three cellphones and an active number, which helped the police to track her location.) 

The former local official was the subject of a Senate arrest order when she was taken into custody by the Indonesian police on Wednesday.

She had repeatedly skipped committee hearings on the illegal activities in a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator in her hometown.

Guo fled the Philippines in July despite being on the Philippines immigration lookout bulletin.

The regional trial court in Capas, Tarlac issued a warrant for her arrest on a graft charge while she was being prepared for deportation to the country on late Thursday afternoon.

In a video, the former mayor was seen answering the door in her sleepwear as the Indonesian authorities knocked. She calmly asked the law enforcers to give her time to change.

The BI said that a female monk Guo met in the mall owned the townhouse. 

Authorities also identified the four Chinese and Indonesian citizens who helped Guo hide in Indonesia. 

“Naging malaking tulong sa amin nung na-identify namin yung mga local contacts niya dito. May Chinese din na kasama, siya yung nagpo-provide ng logistics niya dito, pati yung sa mga hotels. Yung mga locals na contacts nila, sila yung ginagamit nila na pangalan sa hotel na tinutuluyan niya,” said Sy. 

(It was a big help for us when we identified her local contacts here in Indonesia. She was with a Chinese, who helped her with logistics here, as well as with the hotel bookings.  They were using the names of their local contacts to book hotels.) 

Before her return to Manila on early Friday, Guo told GMA Integrated News that she was ready to go back to the Philippines.

She refused to answer when she was asked how she was able to escape and hide abroad. 

The 33-year-old dismissed mayor was ordered arrested by the Senate in July for repeatedly failing to attend the upper chamber’s investigation into the raided Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub in her town. 

In June, authorities also filed a complaint against Guo and others for alleged human trafficking in connection to the raided POGO hub in Bamban. This was submitted for resolution last month.

The dismissed mayor is also facing a deportation case from the BI and 87 counts of money laundering. —Vince Ferreras/NB, GMA Integrated News