The lies of Alice Guo’s identity, death threats, yacht escape – senators

Metro Manila, Philippines – Making her first Senate appearance after months in hiding, former Mayor Alice Guo faced over five hours of questioning — but lawmakers said it was mostly lies.

During Monday’s inquiry led by the Senate committee on women, children, family relations, and gender equality, Guo - under probe for links to illegal offshore gaming in her town that has resulted in criminal activities - was repeatedly asked about her real identity but did not give a direct answer.

“Ikaw ba si Guo Hua Ping (Are you Guo Hua Ping)?” Senator Risa Hontiveros, the committee chairperson asked.

According to the National Bureau of Investigation, Guo Hua Ping, a Chinese national, was identified as the same person as Guo based on fingerprint matching.

The former mayor of Bamban, Tarlac, replied, "Ako po si Alice Guo (I am Guo)."

“Lumaki po ako, alam ko po ako ay isang Filipino (I grew up knowing that I am a Filipino),” she added.

Hontiveros expressed dismay over Guo's dishonesty in the face of “glaring evidence.” She then moved to cite Guo in contempt for the second time, a motion approved by her colleagues.

Hontiveros initially said this would result in the Senate taking Guo into custody but later clarified that it could only happen if Guo posts bail for her graft charges at the Capas, Tarlac Regional Trial Court.

Just last week, the court ordered her arrest in connection with the graft case filed by the Interior Department for her alleged involvement in illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) in Bamban.

Guo has repeatedly denied any links to illegal POGOs, but lawmakers assert there is a preponderance of evidence against her. She is also facing complaints related to human trafficking and money laundering, among others.

Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Francis Tolentino expressed their intention to have Guo transferred to the Pasay City Jail. However, the court had previously ruled that she should remain at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center in Camp Crame, Quezon City.

Hontiveros said she would write to the court and the Office of the Ombudsman to clarify the custody issue, insisting that it was the Senate’s arrest order in July that triggered the manhunt leading to her arrest in Indonesia.

Death threats

The senators' next question focused on the supposed death threat against Guo.

She claimed to have received the threat through five phone calls in June—one of which came from a person she knows in the Philippines.

However, she refused to provide further details, fearing for her life, leading lawmakers to suspect she was bluffing.

“If you are having a death threat you want to say it in public so that you can be protected,” Senator Joel Villanueva said.

“Hiding it doesn’t make sense,” he added.

Yacht story

Guo was also pressed for details on how she and her supposed siblings Shiela and Wesley fled the country in July despite an Immigration Lookout Bulletin and the Senate’s arrest order.

Shiela had previously mentioned taking a “small, white boat” from a location she could not name. She said they traveled via land for around five hours from Bamban, passing through the North Luzon Expressway's Balintawak tollgate and the Skyway, leading senators to speculate that the port was in Batangas or somewhere in southern Luzon.

Guo, however, said they boarded a yacht from a port in Metro Manila. After being pressed by senators, she wrote the name of the “facilitator” on a piece of paper but admitted she does not know if that person was also the yacht’s owner. She also mentioned an “Asian” woman who spoke English and accompanied them.

“Hindi naman pwedeng yung isang barko o yate pupunta dito, susunduin yung tao, tapos aalis ng undetected. Lalo na pag international waters, they have to file paperwork,” Senator Win Gatchalian said.

[Translation: It's not possible for a ship or yacht to come here, pick up a person, and then leave undetected. Especially in international waters, they have to file paperwork.]

There is suspicion that the Guos fled the country aboard a chartered plane, but this was not addressed during Monday’s hearing.

No Pinoy hand?

In this elaborate escape plan, Guo insisted that no Filipino helped her, not even her friend, Sual, Pangasinan Mayor Dong Calugay.

Calugay was absent again from the Senate hearing, leading the committee to decide to issue a subpoena to compel his attendance in the next session.

During last week’s hearing, he sent an excuse letter stating he had dengue, but no further explanation was publicly disclosed during the most recent session.

Guo also denied bribing her way out of the country, refuting Hontiveros' claim that she spent P200 million for it.

“Hindi ako naniniwala na walang Pilipino ang tumulong para makalabas ka ng Pilipinas. Hindi ako naniniwala na walang opisyales ng gobyerno na tumulong sa inyo,” Hontiveros said at the end of the hearing.

[Translation: I don’t believe that no Filipino helped you get out of the Philippines. I don’t believe that no government officials assisted you.]

Former Senator and PNP chief Ping Lacson in a statement said Guo “was taking the senators for a ride,” adding she could be a “trained and smart foreign spy.”