Then Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo in a Senate hearing in Pasay City on May 22, 2024. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News 

MANILA – Dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo arrived in Indonesia over the weekend and could have bypassed travel checks, the Bureau of Immigration said Tuesday. 

Guo, who was accused of facilitating the operation of an illegal POGO hub, first headed to Malaysia and Singapore in July before traveling to Indonesia via Batam island, said BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval. 

“She just arrived in Indonesia the other day…August 18,” Sandoval told ANC. 

Hontiveros wants DFA to cancel Guo's PH passport 'immediately'

There are no records on Guo’s exit from the Philippines and “reliable” information on her whereabouts came from the BI’s foreign counterparts, its spokesperson said. 

“She (Guo) might have left the country illegally without passing through required immigration checks,” Sandoval said.

Guo has left Philippines, says Hontiveros

Guo could have used a private plane without informing immigration authorities or “she might have taken the route that many human traffickers are illegally abusing, crossing the borders to our seas in the south if she was able to get a boat or yacht to Malaysia,” the official added. 

Sandoval said the Philippines could seek the cancellation of Guo’s travel documents so that her host country could send her back to the Philippines for being an undocumented visitor. 

Notary insists he saw Alice Guo on Aug. 14 amid reported escape

DOJ PROBE

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla has instructed the Bureau of Immigration “to come up with a report immediately” on Guo's exit despite an Immigration Lookout Bulletin (ILBO) that directed authorities in July to closely monitor any attempt for her to slip out of the country.

“As civil servants, we have sworn to the country our unwavering integrity, transparency and accountability in all our actions and decisions,” Remulla said in a press release.  

"Hence, I am issuing this final warning against erring BI personnel who may have had a participation in the escape of Guo despite strict restrictions imposed by our government, it’s either you come out and unveil the truth or wait until I personally get to the bottom of this where heads will roll and all hell will break loose." 

'May kasabwat': Lawmaker wants answers over Alice Guo exodus

He said authorities would also look into "the possibility that the camp or legal counsels of the embattled ex-mayor may have had a hand in her slippery exit from the Philippines." 

"Let me reiterate that as much as lawyers have an obligation to protect the interests of their clients, they also have a broader responsibility to uphold the Rule of Law and safeguard public interest,” he added. 

BRINGING BACK GUO 

The Philippines can tap two legal channels to bring back Guo, namely extradition and a red notice from the International Criminal Police Organization, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOOC) said. 

“Mayroon pa ho tayong legal channels na puwede pong sundan para mapanagot natin ito… Titingnan natin kung saan siya lalanding eventually. Kung yung kaniyang lugar na pupuntahan ay mayroon ba tayong extradition treaty,” PAOCC spokesman Winston Casio told TeleRadyo Serbisyo. 

“Kung wala naman po, puwede po nating i-trigger yung Interpol red notice. Kapag siya ay nalabasan ng may warrant of arrest, we will apply for the Interpol red notice, that is an international arrest warrant,” he added. 

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Casio said foreign authorities confirmed that Guo went to Malaysia and Singapore, despite the lack of immigration records of her exit from the Philippines.  

“Malamang lumabas po ito ng Pilipinas via backdoor... Hindi po siya dumaan sa immigration procedure natin, sea ports or airports,” the official said. 

“Dalawa ang tinitinggan naming posibilidad, isa sa Mindanao at isa dito sa Luzon na pwede niyang pinanggalingan para makalabas ng Pilipinas,” he continued. 

Guo asks DOJ panel to dismiss human trafficking complaint

GUO ‘STILL IN PH’: LAWYER 

Guo “is still in the country,” said her lawyer Stephen David, citing his conversation with the dismissed mayor on Tuesday morning. 

“I have no reason not to believe her considering that in fact, last week, she appeared before a notary public and executed her sworn statement,” David told ANC. 

The lawyer said he advised Guo to offer proof of her whereabouts. 

“If you are indeed in the country, then this is the best opportunity for you to show that not everything that the government is throwing against you is reliable,” he said, recounting the advice he gave her. 

“Mistakes are always possible. If she can show that she is here, that will be very advantageous to her.” 

Tax evasion complaint filed against Guo

Guo has denied alleged links to a gambling hub that was raided over reports of human trafficking. She has insisted that she is a Filipino, despite authorities' allegations that she is Chinese national Guo Hua Ping.