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

MANILA — The Bureau of Immigration said on Tuesday it is checking manifests of commercial and private planes, as well as ships and boats, to determine how dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo and her cohorts left the country.

• Alice Guo companions detained in Indonesia: DOJ

In the Kapihan with Department of Justice, BI Deputy Spokesperson Melvin Mabulac said the tedious process is ongoing.

"Chineck natin for the whole month of July, iniisa-isa natin. Hindi pa tayo tapos manual po yan nationwide. Wala po tayong nakita doon na pangalan na Alice Guo. In the same manner po, sa ating system wala tayong nakita na dumaan si Alice Guo," he said.

(We checked the [manifests] for the whole month of July, we are looking at every single one. We're not yet done because this is manually done nationwide. We have not seen the name Alice Guo. In the same manner, we have not seen the name Alice Guo in our system.)

• Guo has left Philippines, says Hontiveros

The BI earlier said it believes Guo and her companions left the country 'illegally' without passing through proper immigration channels. 

In a Senate panel hearing on Tuesday, Shiela Guo narrated how she and her siblings Alice and Wesley exited the Philippines. 

She said they were picked up by a van from their farm in Tarlac, then rode a small white boat and transferred to another two boats until they reached Malaysia. 

Authorities, both in Indonesia and the Philippines, are still tracking down the dismissed mayor and her brother after they parted ways. 

Mabulac said based on latest information from the Indonesian immigration, Guo is still in the Southeast Asian country. 

The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOC) said Wesley Guo attempted to flee to Hong Kong. 

BI said it is closely coordinating with its counterparts and law enforcement agencies.

DEPORTATION CASE VS. SHIELA GUO

Mabulac said they filed a deportation case vs. Shiela Guo for misrepresentation. However, he said there is no timeframe yet for her deportation.

• How Indonesian authorities busted Alice Guo's sister, alleged cohort

"Nagkaroon ng misrepresentation yun because nakita namin na meron siyang [Shiela Guo] Chinese passport, same time meron siyang Philippine passport. That would be misrepresentation," Mabulac explained. 

(There was misrepresentation [in Shiela Guo's case] because we saw that she has a Chinese passport and at the same time she possesses a Philippine passport. That would be misrepresentation.) 

"Wala tayong timeframe kung kailan. But basically nakatutok tayo. Very close coordination po natin with the Indonesian immigration at tuloy-tuloy po tayo," he added. 

(We don't have a timeframe [for the deportation.] But basically, we are monitoring this. We are in very close coordination with the Indonesian immigration as this continues.) 

The BI official, meanwhile, clarified why Cassandra Li Ong, the representative of Lucky South 99 POGO, was not charged by the bureau. 

Ong was among the alleged companion of the Guo siblings when they exited the Philippines. 

"Si Cassandra Li Ong, isa siyang Pilipino. Hindi siya jurisdiction namin kasi hindi siya foreigner. That's why we turned her over to the NBI," Mabulac said. 

(Cassandra Li Ong is a Filipino. She is not under our jurisdiction since she is not a foreigner. That's why we turned her over to the NBI.) 

Atty. Ferdinand Topacio, the legal counsel of Ong, earlier said his client did not violate immigration laws and departed through the proper process. 

Ong is currently under the custody of the House of Representatives, while Guo is detained at the Senate. 

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