Alice Guo confirms leaving PH by boats, one of which was a yacht

Dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo on Monday said that they left the Philippines via boats, one of which was a yacht.

"Umalis po kami, Madam Chair, by boat po," Guo told a Senate panel.

(We left, Mada'm Chair, by boat.)

"Meron po kaming sinakyang yate po," she added, confirming the information asked by Senator Risa Hontiveros who is the chairperson of the panel.

(There was a yacht we boarded.)

After being pressed by the senators to tell more details about their escape, Guo said they climbed aboard the yacht in a port in Metro Manila.

However, Guo refused to divulge to the public the name of the person who facilitated their yacht ride and the owner of the same.

What she only recalled was that the yacht has "wings" stickers and numbers on it.

The senators tried to get the names of the facilitator and the owner by asking Guo to write it on a piece of paper, but she requested them not to divulge it in public.

Guo wrote the name of the facilitator of the trip on a paper, but she noted that she is not sure if he is the owner of the yacht.

Guo has repeatedly told the senators that she is afraid for her safety due to threats which she refused to divulge to the Senate panel.

After riding the yacht for a "few hours", they transferred to a bigger boat. She said she doesn't know the exact location where they made the transfer.

"Madilim pa rin po...Basta dagat po," she said.

(It was still dark. It was in the sea.)

After transferring to a bigger boat, Guo said they stayed in one room for days. She added that she was not aware of the time because they were told not to use their cellphones.

"Siguro mga four or three or five [days]. Basta matagal po...Four days po siguro... Hindi po kami pinapalabas," she said.

(Maybe four or three or five [days]. It was long... Four days maybe... We were not allowed to go out.)

She admitted that she felt afraid in the middle of the second boat ride.

"Kung puwede lang umatras, aatras na po ako...Nakakatakot po talaga," she said.

(If it were just possible to back out, I would have backed out... It was really scary.)

"Gusto ko na po umuwi. Gusto ko na po bumalik," she added.

(I wanted to go home. I wanted to go back.)

Asked why she did not return, Guo said, "Nagkamali po talaga ako (I really made a mistake)."

After riding the second "big" boat, Guo said they transferred to another small boat then proceeded to Malaysia.

"Paglabas po namin, may sinakyan pa kami isang maliit na bangka... 'Yung bangka po bumiyahe pa po kami tapos Malaysia na po," she said.

(When we got out, we boarded a small boat... That boat traveled to Malaysia.)

Asked about the location where they arrived in Malaysia, Guo said she doesn't know because they were instructed not to look around the places they have been.

In a separate Senate investigation last August 27, Guo's supposed sister, Shiela Guo, told the senators that they left the Philippines by riding several boats.

According to Shiela, the three of them were fetched by a van from their farm in Tarlac and they traveled southbound from dinner time to midnight.

However, she said she does not know the location where they rode a small white boat. According to Shiela, the small boat can only cater to around 10 people.

They then transferred to a bigger boat which Shiela said can accommodate many people. The second ship appears to be a fishing ship because there were nets on it, according to Shiela.

After riding what seemed to be a fishing ship, Shiela said they transferred again to a smaller boat.

Asked if the last boat transferred them to Malaysia, Shiela answered in the affirmative.

It took a month before the Philippine government became aware that Guo and her siblings had left the country in July.

READ: TIMELINE: The escape of Alice Guo and her siblings

Alice Guo is the subject of multiple complaints, one of which was filed with a Tarlac court, which ordered her arrest for her alleged connections to the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) in Bamban that was raided for illegal activities.

Among the complaints she is facing are graft, money laundering, and human trafficking.

READ: LIST: Complaints, petitions vs. Alice Guo

Alice Guo was arrested in Indonesia on September 4 and arrived in the Philippines on September 6. —KG, GMA Integrated News