Alice Guo names offshore gaming boss as mastermind behind her escape – Hontiveros

Metro Manila, Philippines – Short of revealing the identity of the offshore gaming operator boss who orchestrated former Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo’s short-lived escape from the country, Senator Risa Hontiveros dropped another clue on Wednesday, Sept. 11.

In an interview with NewsWatch Plus, Hontiveros revealed that Guo wrote the name of one of the incorporators of Baofu Land during Monday’s hearing when asked to identify the person who facilitated her journey to Malaysia by yacht, ship, and boat in July.

Baofu Land is a real estate company that leased its compound to the offshore gaming hub in Bamban, which authorities raided for illegal activities in March.

“Yun yung isang dahilan natin na lumitaw na yung pangalang iyan sa mga naunang hearing namin dahil lumitaw din bilang isang co-incorporator sa Baofu na isa sa tatlong kumpanyang siguradong may kinalaman si Guo Hua Ping (Alice Guo) sa pagtatayo at pag-operate diyan sa POGO (Philippine offshore gaming operator) complex sa Bamban,” Hontiveros said.

[Translation: That’s one reason why that name came up in our previous hearings, as it also appeared as a co-incorporator in Baofu, which is one of the three companies certainly linked to Guo Hua Ping in the establishment and operation of the POGO complex in Bamban.]

This complements the hints provided by Senator Jinggoy Estrada, who described the person as a Chinese national with four other passports and “the boss of all the bosses of POGO.” He added that the person was last tracked in Taiwan.

Guo stated that this person initiated her escape, and she acceded after receiving death threats. She added that he eventually threatened her life.

Hontiveros, chairperson of the Senate committee on women, children, family relations, and gender equality which leads the legislative probe on Guo, said the full reveal may happen at the next hearing on Tuesday, Sept. 17.

“At the proper time, possible susunod na hearing, lao na’t pag meron na kaming dagdag pa na impormasyon sa kanya e palagay ko mapipilit na namin si Guo Hua Ping sabihin ang pangalan niya in open hearing,” Hontiveros said.

[Translation: At the appropriate time, possibly the next hearing, especially if we obtain additional information about him, I believe we will be able to compel Guo Hua Ping to reveal his name in an open session.]

Hontiveros said her committee considers the individual a “person of interest” and is conducting a fact-finding probe on his whereabouts. The committee wanted to invite him during previous hearings but could not locate his address, she said.

“Pero kahit sa Taiwan pa o kung saang bansa pa namin siya matukoy, if we deem it necessary pa rin na pag salitaanin siya sa komite then we will send him that invitation or make it possible, probable na humarap siya sa komite,” Hontiveros said.

[Translation: But whether we locate him in Taiwan or another country, if we still find it necessary for him to testify before the committee, we will extend an invitation and make arrangements to ensure he appears before us.]

She said coordination “would easily be done” with other countries, recalling the arrest of Guo and her alleged cohorts Shiela Guo and Cassandra Li Ong in Indonesia.