Alice Guo likely to be transferred to Pasig jail on Monday - PNP

Metro Manila, Philippines – Former Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo’s transfer to the Pasig City jail may push through on Monday, Sept. 23, PNP Spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said.

In a text message to NewsWatch Plus, Fajardo said Guo’s arrest warrant has to be returned first to the Pasig Regional Trial Court before her transfer to the city jail.

Guo’s detainment in Pasig was postponed on Friday, as authorities had yet to finish processing some documents and medical requirements needed for her transfer.

“Sa BJMP po kasi we want to ensure din na hindi mahahawa iyong other PDL namin sa pag-transfer,” Jayrex Bustinera, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology spokesperson, said.

[Translation: At BJMP, we want to ensure that our other Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDL) will not be infected by a disease during the transfer]

BJMP vowed there will be no special treatment for Guo upon her detainment in the female dormitory of the city jail.

Bustinera said the dismissed mayor will be detained in a cell with over 40 inmates.

“Merong sampung triple deck bed bunks. At kasama niya iyong ibang PDL, nakakahiga naman…Ideally dapat sa isolation ang bagong commit, kaya lang may TB patients po kaming naka-isolate ngayon kaya hindi siya pwedeng ihalo doon, sa general population siya,” he said.

[Translation: There are 10 triple deck bed bunks. She will be with other PDLs. It can be rested on…Ideally, she would be detained in the isolation facility but there are tuberculosis patients so she can’t be there. She will stay with the general population]

On Friday, the Pasig RTC Branch 167 ordered Guo’s transfer to the Pasig jail from the PNP Custodial Center at Camp Crame in Quezon City for her non-bailable qualified human trafficking case.

The order coincided with Guo’s arraignment at the Valenzuela RTC for a separate graft case.

After the postponement of her arraignment at the Valenzuela RTC, Guo posted bail of P540,000. This is much higher than the P180,000 earlier determined by the court. Her lawyer, Stephen David, said the court considered Guo a “flight risk.”

He said Guo will file a petition with the Pasig court to allow her to post bail for the other case.