Alice Guo floated 'new names' in latest executive session —Ejercito

"New names" were mentioned by dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo in the last senate executive session, according to Senator JV Ejercito.

At the Kapihan sa Senado, Ejercito said there are new pieces of information from Guo that were tackled during the closed-door session, which lasted for more than one hour.

"Meron naman," Ejercito said when asked if there are new information that were gathered during the executive session.

(There were new pieces of information.)

"Siguro hesitant siya minsan.... Siguro by naming names, medyo natakot din siya. Tao lang. So,there are some names that cropped up," he said.

(She was hesitant sometimes to name names because she was scared. But there are some names that cropped up.)

For Ejercito, the senators should be patient with Guo as he noted that the dismissed mayor is also "scared for her life."

With the previous statement of Guo that she is just a "victim," Ejercito said Guo could be offered to become a state witness if she points to the "real mastermind" and "most guilty" in the illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) operations in Bamban, Tarlac.

"Siguro, si Alice Guo and company just [have] to... feel secured. Kasi ang target naman natin dito to get to the bottom of it, who are really behind. This is international crime syndicate. Talagang network ito. That's who we want to pinpoint kung sino talaga," Ejercito said.

(Maybe Alice Guo and her company just have to feel secured. The person that we want to identify here is the mastermind. This is an international crime syndicate which involves a big network. We really want to pinpoint the mastermind of these operations.)

During the first executive session with Guo in late September, Senator Risa Hontiveros, who leads the Senate investigation into the illegal POGOS, said the dismissed mayor corroborated their theory involving a "crucial personality" in the operations of POGOs.

Guo is facing charges for graft, qualified human trafficking, money laundering, and tax evasion for her alleged involvement in the POGO hub in her town.

She is currently detained at the Pasig City Jail.

Guo was dismissed from her post as Bamban mayor in August.

The Department of Foreign Affairs canceled Guo's Philippine passport as her biometrics match those of Chinese passport holder Guo Hua Ping in the files of the National Bureau of Investigation.

--VAL, GMA Integrated News