Dismayed Gatchalian backs ultimatum for BI to finish report on Alice Guo's escape

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian is supporting Senator Risa Hontiveros' 15-day ultimatum for the Bureau of Immigration to provide "satisfactory" report on the escape of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo.

Gatchalian made the remark after the BI, in a Senate hearing on Tuesday, said that they still have no idea on the escape route of Guo barely six months after the latter was brought back to the Philippines. 

“I support that. Dahil importante nga na maipakita ng BI na may kakayahan sila at mayroon silang initiative para malaman itong issue na ito at ano yung katotohanan,” Gatchalian said in a press conference.

“I support Senator Risa's call. Kung hindi nila mapakita, then ang pinapakita nila sa atin, yung kanilang kahinaan at walang inisiyatibo,” he added. 

The lawmaker, who first floated Guo’s connection to POGO operations, expressed dismay that there was no official report on the dismissed mayor’s escape. 

“Nakakadismaya na hanggang ngayon, walang official report ang Bureau of Immigration and yung mga enforcement agencies na rin natin. Dahil para tayong ginagawang walang alam. Dahil hindi natin ma-validate yung kanilang mga istorya,” he said. 

For Gatchalian, the key to find out Guo’s escape route was to validate the passport stamp that reflected the latter’s arrival at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. 

“Hanggang ngayon hindi malaman kung paano nagkaroon ng Kuala Lumpur point of entry. Halos mag-iisang taon na lumabas yung point of entry na yun. Ang suggestion ko sa BI, mag-network sila doon sa kanilang counterpart para malaman kung official yung stamp na yun, o peke yung stamp na yun, kung official, kailan siya dumating at anong airline,” he said.

Although the BI said coordinations have been made, Gatchalian said the immigration officials should have personally sought information from their foreign counterparts. 

“Ang hina naman nila, Kuala Lumpur lang naman to. Sana puntahan na lang nila kausapin yung counterpart at i-validate nila doon. Kasi parang ginagawa tayo nitong mga ito na walang kaalam-alam. At pinapakita natin, wala tayong kakayahan,” he said. 

During the hearing on Tuesday, the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) bared a new theory that Guo and her supposed siblings exited through the so-called "backdoor" in the Southern part of the Philippines going to Kota Kinabalu before going to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia where they started their journey to Batam, Indonesia. 

According to NICA Director Ferlu Silvio, they found out about Kota Kinabalu when they obtained a copy of a document showing that Shiela Guo-- the supposed sister of Alice--- entered the city.

"Actually the sister of Alice Guo pumasok siya allegdly…Sheila guo entered, medyo malabo kasi, dun po sa KK o Kota Kinabalu… Meron po doon sa aming nakuha, medyo malabo nga lang, but nakikita doon Kinabalu. So, we presume na ang jump off point from the Philippines is Kota Kinabalu," Silvio said. 

"Possibly, from KK then to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and there from KLIA 1 to Singapore Airport, Changi and then, nag-ferry na po sila from Singapore to Batam Indonesia… Confirmed na po yun. As to the question of how Alice Guo was able to leave the Philippines, ito po yung gaps na tinitingnan po namin," he added.—LDF, GMA Inregrated News