Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros on Monday, May 27 said the Senate Committee on Women and Children may hold an executive session to hear more information about the identity of Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo from intelligence officials.
Hontiveros said the panel will conduct the executive hearing even after the Senate has adjourned sessions.
“Habang tumatakbo itong adjournment namin, magsasagawa na kami ng executive session at palagay ko, na executive session na iyan, mas marami pong lalabas talaga at ma-establish tungkol sa kanyang connection sa POGO, sa criminal connections, at pati sa kanyang hindi maipaliwanag na kayamanan (While our adjournment is ongoing, we will hold an executive session and I think in that executive session, more information will come out and we will be able to establish her connections in POGO, criminal connections and even her unexplained wealth),” Hontiveros said in an interview over Unang Hirit.
“Yun ang maghuhubog sa aming susunod na hearing, at palagay ko, mas magiging solido na yung aming mga findings at magiging recommendations tungkol sa kanya sa aming committee report (That will guide us in the next hearing, and I think, it will help us come up with solid findings and recommendations about her in our committee report),” she said.
The panel, however, is still unsure whether to invite the Bamban mayor in the executive session.
“Depende sa aming mafa-finalize ng mga tanong na ihaharap sa executive agencies. Pero kung sa akin lang, mas posibleng imbitado siya. Pero piling-pili ang mga resource persons (It would depend on the questions that we are still finalizing for the executive agencies. But for me, it’s possible to invite her. But the resource persons to be invited will be limited),” she said.
Hontiveros reiterated Guo, who has been linked to illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) activities in Tarlac, has been evasive in answering questions regarding her past and even the status of relationship with her supposed family members, a matter which the Senate is bent on uncovering.
She said the panel is also set to ask Guo to shed light on a possibility of a third sibling named Wesley. The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) had pointed to the existence of Wesley, whose parents are also the same with Alice and two of her siblings, named Sheila and Siemen.
“Hindi talaga nasasagot, paikot-ikot, paulit-ulit, pero halatang-halata namang hindi nagsasabi ng totoo (She really cannot answer, she’s running in circles, she keeps on repeating, but it’s obvious she’s not telling the truth),” Hontiveros said.
“Dahil meron po tayong mga executive departments at agencies kasama ng mga intel agencies na mas gusto pang magbahagi sa aming komite pero hindi pa nila magawa in open hearing. So gagawa po kami ng isang executive session (Because we have executive departments and agencies, including intelligence agencies, who want to share more information to our committee, but cannot say it in an open hearing, so we will conduct an executive session),” the lawmaker said.