MANILA, Philippines – Contrary to the claim of Sen. Risa Hontiveros that dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo was able to flee to Malaysia and Singapore last July, the controversial former town chief is still in the Philippines at least according to the knowledge of the Department of Justice.
“As far as we know, Mayor Guo is still in the country. There has been no report to us of an attempted departure from the Bureau of Immigration (BI). In fact, she filed a Motion for her case in the DOJ last Friday to which she attached a Counter Affidavit, which was sworn before a Philippine notary public on August 14, 2024,” DOJ spokesperson Assistant Secretary Mico Clavano said Monday.
Clavano even said that sightings of Guo had been reported at the time Hontiveros made her claim during a Senate plenary session and that the agency is still in the process of verifying the authenticity of Hontiveros’ documents.
“We will continue to gather information from both the Bureau of Immigration and the National Bureau of Investigation. This is a case of national significance,” he said.
The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) likewise said that they are verifying reports that Guo left for Denpasar, Indonesia.
“As far as our BI records are concerned she is still in the country. We are coordinating with our local partners to check on this info. In the meantime, we are awaiting the official information from our Malaysian and Indonesia counterparts,” said PAOCC spokesperson Winston Casio.
