Cassandra Li Ong and Alice Guo’s sister Shiela Guo after being apprehended in Indonesia. Photo from the Office of Sen. Risa Hontiveros

MANILA (UPDATE) — Indonesian authorities on Thursday detailed how they captured the two companions of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo in Batam, an Indonesian island a ferry away from Singapore.

• Alice Guo companions detained in Indonesia: DOJ

In a press release of Indonesia's Ministry of Law and Human Rights shared to ABS-CBN News by PAOCC, Jakarta said their immigration officers this week flagged "suspicious foreigners" in Batam, prompting them to coordinate with another office to identify the individuals.

The authorities found out that the 2 "suspicious" foreigners were Cassandra Li Ong and Shiela Guo, who are subjects of the Philippine government's letter that informed them about the case of Alice Guo, who allegedly fled the Philippines and was reportedly in Indonesia along with some companions. 

• PH notifies Interpol on Alice Guo case: Hontiveros

In a separate statement, Sen. Raffy Tulfo said the pair were arrested at the Mega Mall Batam Center on Aug. 20, Tuesday. Indonesian authorities did not find the dismissed mayor and her brother Wesley.

According to Tulfo, Guo's group entered Indonesia from Singapore via a cruise ship.

Meanwhile, Indonesia said a Singaporean national aided the Guo group in booking their hotel accommodation in Batam.

"There was a person named ZJ (Singaporean citizen) who booked four rooms at the Harris Hotel Batam Center for the last 3 days. From the results of checking CCTV, it was found that ZJ was the party who helped them to make hotel reservations," according to Indonesia's Director of Immigration Supervision and Enforcement Safar Godam.

Indonesia said they are still working to locate Guo and her brother, whom they described as "fugitives."

• Alice Guo is in Indonesia: immigration bureau

"Indonesian and Philippine authorities continue to coordinate to immediately arrest the two fugitives," Godam said.

'ALICE, WESLEY STILL IN BATAM'

In an interview, PAOCC spokesperson Winston Casio said Indonesian authorities are confident that the Guo siblings are still in Batam.

"Nung nakipag-ugnayan tayo sa mga Immigration authorities ng Indonesia, they are fairly confident na hindi pa nakaka-alis sina Alice at Wesley Guo. Nasa Indonesia pa sila. Nasa loob pa ng Batam itong magkapatid," Casio told Teleradyo Serbisyo.

(Indonesia's immigration authorities are fairly confident that Alice and Wesley are still in Batam.)

He also added that the Singaporean national who booked the hotel rooms of Guo and her companions was the former president of Lucky South 99, the illegal POGO hub in Porac, Pampanga.

• DOJ: Immigration told to be on lookout for Alice Guo, 13 others

"Yung nagbayad ng kanilang hotel ay yung tao na wanted din natin dito sa Pilipinas na siyang dating presidente nitong Lucky South 99 na Singaporean na nagngangalang Zhang Jie," Casio said.

• Alice Guo's sister, companion back in PH

Guo's sister and Ong are back in the Philippines and currently under the custody of the Bureau of Immigration.

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