7 months since Alice Guo's escape, BI still unable to explain how she fled
MANILA, Philippines — More than seven months after dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo reportedly escaped from Philippine authorities at the height of the Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO) mess, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) remains clueless about how she did it.
Guo, also known as alleged Chinese national Guo Hua Ping, is at the center of the POGO scandal that rocked the country in 2024. The case exposed not only a criminal network involving human trafficking and illegal gambling but also alleged widespread government corruption. The controversy revealed irregularities ranging from the fraudulent issuance of birth certificates to foreign nationals to concerns over the integrity of the country’s borders.
In July 2024, Guo and her family were reportedly able to escape the country despite having an Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order. This further cemented lawmakers’ suspicion of corruption within the government.
The Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality held its final hearing on the POGO controversy in November 2024, as justice authorities launched multiple cases against the Guos and their allies.
Now, more than three months since the last hearing, the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights is reviewing the progress of government agencies on the issue.
So far, the panel has confirmed one thing: the Bureau of Immigration still has no clue how Guo and her associates escaped.
An exasperated Sen. Risa Hontiveros, who first revealed Guo’s escape, pressed the Bureau of Immigration (BI) for updates.
During the panel’s hearing on Tuesday, March 4, BI Intelligence Division Chief Fortunato Manahan said the agency had reached out to its counterparts across Asia as part of its investigation but had yet to receive any response.
Hontiveros then questioned whether the agency was content to leave the matter at that.
“Kung titigil lang tayo sa ganitong status, we’re inutil as a country. Apat na buwan na po and we still don’t know how fugitives got past our borders undetected,” she said.
(If we stop with this status, we’re useless as a country. It has been four months and we still don’t know how fugitives got past our borders undetected.)
Hontiveros asked Manahan if he could put it on record that the BI still does not know how Guo escaped. The director said “yes.”
The Bureau of Immigration is also uncertain about which border Guo may have used to escape.
“We will submit a compliance report to your Office, but I’m sorry as of this time, we don’t have any information as to which port or subports the Guo siblings escaped,” Manahan said in a mix of English and Filipino.
Guo’s escape from the country and her subsequent travel across Southeast Asia prompted President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to vow accountability from government officials. Former BI chief Norman Tansingco was dismissed following her escape.
Hontiveros also questioned Manahan on whether an internal probe had been conducted into other lapses within the BI related to Guo’s escape. She further inquired whether any administrative cases had been filed or if anyone had been suspended.
However, Manahan admitted that, to his knowledge, no such probe has been conducted.
Guo, along with her reported siblings Wesley and Shiela Guo, managed to flee the country in July. Shiela had previously claimed that they escaped by boat, but her account has been inconsistent. She frequently changed details or appeared uncertain during Senate hearings.
What is certain, however, is that Alice and her siblings traveled to Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and back to Indonesia.
Shiela Guo and alleged POGO incorporator Cassandra Ong were detained by Indonesian authorities in August 2024, while Alice was later arrested in September 2024.
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