PAOCC: Too early to tell if 'Mary Ann Maslog' can contribute to Alice Guo probe

An official of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) on Wednesday said it is too early to tell if Jessica Francisco — or "Mary Ann Maslog" as authorities address her — would be useful in the investigation into dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo or just a nuisance. 

“Baka mamaya meron talaga siya masasabi (maybe she really has something to say). But it will really depend on how good an investigator or an interviewer you are to ferret out the truth, if any,” PAOCC spokesperson Dr. Winston Casio said in an ambush interview at the Department of Justice (DOJ).

At this point, however, Casio said Maslog has yet to contribute any information to the investigation. 

“Ngayon nakakagulo pa lang siya sa kaniyang imbestigasyon (right now she’s only a nuisance to the investigation),” he said.

Casio was at the DOJ to attend a meeting of the PAOCC, the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

On Tuesday, Maslog said she was tapped by the Philippine National Police Intelligence Group (PNP-IG) to talk with Guo for her surrender.

General Romeo Macapaz of the PNP-IG, however, said that it was Maslog who volunteered, saying she had a line to Guo's lawyer, Stephen David.

David confirmed that Maslog also approached him and claimed she was with the “top brass of the PNP.” 

The NBI on September 25 arrested Francisco, saying it established through fingerprints that she was Maslog, whose case was dismissed by the Sandiganbayan after the court was told of her death in 2019.

Francisco's camp, however, denied that she was Maslog. Asked during a Senate hearing if she was, Francisco invoked her right against self-incrimination.

Meanwhile, Casio said that officials were glad that Guo, also identified as Guo Hua Ping, put off her reelection bid, adding that it was one thing off their minds.

“Kami we are 101% sure that she is not a Filipino and no foreign national must be allowed to take part in our electoral process,” Casio said.

Last week, David said Guo will again run for mayor of Bamban. However, during Tuesday’s hearing, Guo said that she would rather concentrate on facing all the allegations raised against her first.

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

A quo warranto petition was also filed against Guo with a Manila court, as well as a petition to cancel her birth certificate before a Tarlac court.

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