Alice Guo: No Filipino, gov't official helped in fleeing PH

Dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo on Monday categorically stated that there was no Filipino or Philippine government official who helped her in escaping the Philippines in July.

"Walang tumulong po ni isang Filipino or Filipina... Immigration, wala po. Government officials, wala rin po. Filipino, wala po. Wala pong tumulong," Guo told the Senate committee on women, children, family relations and gender equality.

[No Filipino or Filipina helped ... Immigration, none. Government officials, none. No one helped.]

But this was deemed "impossible" by Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada, particularly Guo's claim that there was no government official that aided her in her escape.

"That’s impossible. Imposibleng walang tumulong sayo upang makatakas dito sa Pilipinas [It's impossible that no one helped you in escaping the Philippines]," Estrada said.

Guo likewise denied that they paid P200 million bribe so they can escape the country.

So who helped Alice Guo and her supposed siblings leave the country?

Guo initially refused to divulge the identity of the person who facilitated her escape, but she was pressed on by the senators to write the name of the said person on a paper. Guo requested the senators not to divulge the name of the person to the public as she expressed concern for her own safety.

According to Guo, the person who facilitated her escape "initiated" the move after an apparent confrontation.

"Siya nag-initiate...Nu'ng una po siya ang nagdesisyon para sa akin," she said.

"Actually, hindi po tulong ang hiningi ko sa kanya. Actually, to be exact, medyo pinagsalitaan ko po siya nang hindi maganda," she added.

[He/she was the one who initiated ... at first, he/she was the one deciding for me. Actually, I wa not seeking help. In fact, I was rude to him/her.]

Guo said the person who facilitated their escape was not with them when they were leaving the Philippines. Only an Asian woman accompanied them.

'Absurd,' 'weird'

Estrada found this "absurd" and "weird" but Guo maintained that she cannot explain it to the public due to security concerns.

"Pinagsalitaan mo siya nang masama pero siya ang nag-facilitate ng pagtakas ninyo sa Pilipinas...Siyempre 'pag ako pinagsalitaan mo nang masama, hindi na kita tutulungan," Estrada said.

[You were rude to him/her and yet he/she facilitated your escape from the Philippines ... If you were rude to him/her, he/she should not have helped you.]

"Bakit 'di mo pwedeng i-divulge sa publiko? May sikreto ba kayo? This is just a simple question. Pinagsalitaan mo nang masama, absurd, para sa akin it’s weird, tapos siya pa ang tumulong sa iyo na makatakas sa Pilipinas," Estrada said.

[Why can't you divulge the identity in public? Do you have a secret? This is just a simple question. You were rude and yet you were assisted  ... that's weird.]

Estrada pointed out that Guo is already in the custody of the Philippine National Police which will keep her safe from threats.

However, Guo said, "Nandito po ako, safe na safe po ako, alam ko po yun. Pero pagkatapos ng session, paano po ako? 'Dun po ako nagwo-worry kaya ayaw ko po mag-disclose po sa public."

[I am here, I'm safe. But after this session, am I safe? That's what I'm worried about ... that's why I won't disclose in public.]

Since Guo did not want to disclose the identity of the person who facilitated their escape publicly, Senator Risa Hontiveros said that the person named by the former mayor to the senators was already mentioned in the previous hearings.

"'Yung pangalan na sinulat mo sa papel, actually, lumabas na 'yung pangalan niya sa hearing eh. Tinanong ko na kayo tungkol sa taong 'yan," Hontiveros said.

[The person you wrote on the paper has already cropped up in one hearing. I even asked you about that person.]

Asked about the person's whereabouts, Guo said she doesn't know.

Estrada then butted in and said that the person that was identified by Guo is in Taiwan.

"Nasa Taiwan. Itong taong binanggit mo, itong taong sinulat mo holder ng five passport(s) ito," he said.

"Holder ng passport ng Kitts [and] Nevis, China, Cyprus, Dominica, at tyaka Cambodia," he added.

[The person is in Taiwan ... holder of five passports.]

Guo said she is not aware of the information that the person who helped her escape the country has five passports.

At the early part of the hearing, Guo confirmed that she, along with her supposed siblings--Wesley and Shiela, left the country by sea.

She said that they climbed aboard a yacht in a port in Metro Manila and left at around 10 p.m. sometime in July.

Guo said they transferred to a bigger boat after the yacht ride. She said she doesn't know the exact location where they made the transfer.

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.

Guo and her supposed siblings then transferred to another small boat to reach 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.

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

According to Guo, she did not spend even a dime on their escape.

“Wala po akong binayaran (I did not pay for anything),” Guo said.

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.

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