MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Wednesday, September 4, that Philippine government officials who helped dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo flee the country will not only lose their jobs but will face charges as well.
“All of those who are implicated…in assisting Alice Guo to leave the Philippines illegally as a fugitive from justice will certainly pay the price,” Marcos said in an ambush interview on the sidelines of a briefing on the government’s response to the displacement and damage caused Severe Tropical Storm Enteng.
“Ang tanong ‘nyo, sino ‘yung sisibakin? Hindi lang namin sila sisibakin, kakasuhan pa namin sila dahil ang kanilang ginawa ay labag sa batas at against all of the interests of the Philippine judicial system,” he added.
(You’re asking, who will be sacked? They won’t just be sacked, we will file charges against them because what they did is against the law and against all interests of the Philippine judicial system.)
Guo, 34, is at the center of a controversy over her involvement in a Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) in her town that was raided by Philippine agents and found to be a hotbed of human trafficking and online scams, among others. Guo, who at one point was accused of being a Chinese spy, faces a slew of complaints in the Philippines, from human trafficking to money laundering. Her activities and identity have also been the subjects of a month-long Senate probe.
Following Guo’s arrest in Indonesia earlier on Wednesday, Marcos said in a recorded message: “Let this serve as a warning to those who attempt to evade justice. Such is an exercise in futility. The arm of the law is long and it will reach you.”
He also said that while Guo will be accorded due process, the government will seek a speedy disposition of her case.
“This government continues in its duty to apply the rule of law. Ms. Guo shall be entitled to all legal protections due her under the laws of the land, and pursuant to our commitment to the rule of law. But we will not allow this to prolong the resolution of the case, whose outcome will be a victory for the Filipino people,” Marcos said.
Marcos earlier said “heads would roll” over Guo’s exit, which had apparently taken Philippine government officials by surprise. Guo’s sister, Shiela had earlier been nabbed in Indonesia alongside Cassandra Ong, who has ties to another POGO in Porac, Pampanga.
Guo is now in the custody of Indonesian authorities and is expected to return to the Philippines “sometime today,” according to the Marcos. The President, in the same recorded message, thanked the Indonesian government “for their assistance on this matter.”
“The close cooperation between our two governments has made this arrest possible,” he said. – Rappler.com
