Alice Guo Senate probe not grandstanding, Dela Rosa says

The Al Jazeera documentary where dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo was tagged as a Chinese spy shows that the Senate inquiry into illegal POGOs is not merely grandstanding by senators, Senator Bato Dela Rosa said Tuesday.

Dela Rosa issued the remark during the resumption of the hearing of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality.

“Maraming nag sasabi na, ah grandstanding lang ‘yan ng mga senador, gusto lang nila koberan ‘yung mga problema ng Pilipinas ngayon kaya diyan sila naka focus kay Alice Guo,” he said.

(Many were saying, it's just an act of grandstanding by the senators, they just want to cover up the problems in the Philippines, that's why they're focusing on Alice Guo.)

“Pero lately… madam chair, with that Al Jazeera report ay na recognize natin na talagang hindi ito basta-basta na hearing na balewalain lang natin,” he added. 

(However, lately... Madam Chair, with that Al Jazeera report, we cannot deny that this is not just a hearing we can dismiss.)

The Al Jazeera documentary covered Chinese businessman She Zhijiang, who claimed to be a Chinese spy. 

The documentary reported that encrypted files left by She included a dossier of Guo, also identified as Guo Hua Ping. It also featured She saying that both he and Guo dedicated their lives to China’s Ministry of State Security.

Guo, for her part, has denied knowing or having any connection with She.

Her camp also said that it is looking into the possible filing of a case against Al Jazeera for the “malicious insinuation.”

Meanwhile, Dela Rosa also expressed hope that Guo will be truthful during the Senate executive session, saying it would “help her a lot.”

“Dahil mas matanda tayo sa kanya, batang-bata pa siya. Kahit na sabihin mong seasoned na seasoned o well trained siya or ‘yung pagka train niya as a spy ay talagang magandang foundation, still you cannot break our experience,” he said.

(Because we are older than her, she is still very young. Even if you say she is seasoned or well-trained, or that her training as a spy is a great foundation, you cannot surpass our experience.)

“Kaya, I hope that you will declare everything during our executive session,” he added.

The committee resumed the executive session it conducted on September 24.

Guo is facing a qualified human trafficking case before a Pasig court and a graft case before a Valenzuela court.

She is also facing a tax evasion complaint, 87 counts for money laundering, and a perjury and falsification complaint before the Justice Department. —VAL, GMA Integrated News