Joel Villanueva thinks Alice Guo fears boss of raided Porac POGO hub

Senator Joel Villanueva on Friday said he believes that the "big boss" of illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) in the country is Duanren Wu, an alleged former Chinese cop and an incorporator of the Whirlwind Corp., which leased the property in Porac, Pampanga where the Lucky South 99 compound is located.

The senator made the statement a day after an official of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) named Huang Zhiyang as the "boss of all bosses" of illegal POGOs.

Huang is one of the co-incorporators of dismissed mayor Alice Guo in Baofu Land Development, which leased the land to the raided POGO firm in Bamban, Tarlac. He is also reported to a Chinese fugitive who was found to have five passports in a raid in Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga.

"I don't believe na siya (Huang Zhiyang) 'yung big boss na sinasabi ng iba. Kasi para sa akin, itong Duanren Wu na ito, ito talaga yung notorious," Villanueva said in a virtual interview with reporters.

(I don't think Huang Zhiyang is the big boss that others are talking about. In my opinion, it's actually Duanren Wu who's the real notorious one.)

"He's the one running the show in [so] far as 'yung pagiging notorious group na nandito sa Pilipinas. Parang siya 'yung big boss na kinatatakutan. Siya 'yung pinaka-mastermind sa mga violent acts, tortures, kidnappings, etcetera. So, siya 'yung pinaniniwalaan ko. Dahil siya 'yung talagang 'yung background," he added.

(He's the one calling the shots as far as the notorious group here in the Philippines is concerned. He's like the big boss who instills fear. He's the mastermind behind the violent acts, tortures, kidnappings, and so on. So, I believe it's him. Because he's the one who's truly behind the scenes.)

Darren Wu is a former police officer in China, the senator said, adding that he brought some Chinese military officers to the Philippines.

"Kung may kinatakutan si alias Alice, si Guo Hua Ping, mukhang itong si Duanren Wu," he noted.

(It seems that alias Alice, Guo Hua Ping, is afraid of this Duanren Wu.)

Villanueva added that Duanren Wu is the "beneficial owner" of the Porac POGO hub and not Zhang Jie, the supposed former president of Lucky South 99.

"Yung Zhang Jie is tauhan lang ni Duanren Wu yan... Si Zhang Jie siya 'yung nag check-in at nag facilitate ng hotel dun sa Batam, Indonesia. Inamin ni Shiela 'yan at ni alias Alice. Tapos siya din 'yung Zhang Jie, siya din 'yung nakita sa picture na nasa airport na sumundo o naghatid kay alias Alice. But 'yung money trail puro galing du'n sa kumpanya ni Duanren Wu," he said.

(Zhang Jie is just one of the underlings of Duanren Wu. It was Zhang Jie who checked in and facilitated the hotel arrangements in Batam, Indonesia. Shiela and alias Alice have admitted to this. And it was also Zhang Jie who was seen in the picture at the airport, picking up or dropping off alias Alice. However, the money trail all leads back to Duanren Wu's company.)

According to Villanueva, Duanren Wu and Zhang Jie have the same address. The said address is also used for one of their companies and a cafe, which Villanueva said, where the money laundering was done.

"'Yung address ng cafe at isa pang kumpanya... dun nilalabhan eh. 'Yun 'yung laundering activities nangyayari du'n sa dalawang kumpanya na 'yun e," he said.

While he did not confirm nor deny whether Huang Zhiyang was the name which Guo wrote on the paper during last Monday's hearing, Villanueva said it was Huang who helped the former mayor to leave the country from the start.

"Itong si Huang Zhiyang, siya pa rin 'yung lumalabas from the very beginning na tumulong para tumakas itong si alias Alice. In fact, si alias Alice already admitted na idea ni Huang Zhiyang na umalis siya. Siya talaga 'yung unang may idea na nagbigay sa kanya na umalis siya. So talagang klarong-klarong ito 'yung primary major player na tumulong para tumakas sina alias Alice," he said.

(It was Huang Zhiyang who, from the very beginning, has been the one helping alias Alice escape. In fact, alias Alice has already admitted that Huang Zhiyang's idea was for her to leave. He was the first one who gave her the idea to escape. So it's crystal clear that he is the primary major player who helped alias Alice flee.)

On Thursday, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian mentioned Duanren Wu, Zhang Jie, and Huang Zhiyang as the persons who supposedly helped Guo when she was hiding abroad.

During the Senate hearing on Monday, Guo said they left the Philippines via boat transfers, starting with a yacht in Metro Manila.

Guo refused to name the person who supposedly facilitated their escape. Pressed by the senators, she later wrote the name on paper.

Senator Risa Hontiveros said the person named by the former mayor to senators was already mentioned in previous hearings, while Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada dropped hints that the person that Guo has written on the paper is the "boss of all the POGO bosses" and a passport holder of five countries, particularly Kitts and Nevis, China, Cyprus, Dominica and Cambodia. — VDV, GMA Integrated News