The Senate and House of Representatives will continue its investigation into the illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) hubs even after dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo has posted bail.
Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros pointed this out on Sunday, September 22, noting that Guo is still facing other criminal charges in other courts.
“Karapatan man niyang magpyansa, tuloy pa rin naman ang imbestigasyon. Walang magbabago (It’s her right to post bail, yet the investigation will continue. Nothing changes),” Hontiveros said.
“She is still facing non-bailable human trafficking charges. Kaya hangga’t sa hindi mapatunayan sa korte ang pagka-inosente niya, mananatili siyang nakakulong (That’s why until the courts have not yet proven that she is innocent, she will remain in detention),” the senator said.
“Magpapatuloy din ang presensya niya sa Congressional hearings dahil kasalukuyang din siyang naka-contempt sa Senado at sa Kamara (she will also be compelled to face the congressional hearings because she is currently facing contempt charges before the Senate and the House of Representatives),” she stressed.
Guo posted bail for graft charges last Friday, September 20 before the Valenzuela Court. Her counsel, Stephen David, said the former mayor posted a total of P540,000 bail.
The graft case was initially filed at the Tarlac Court but was transferred to Valenzuela.
Guo, however, is set to be transferred to a regular jail after the Pasig Regional Trial Court ordered Guo’s transfer from the Philippine National Police (PNP) Custodial Center to the Pasig City Jail Female Dormitory.
This, after the Pasig court ordered her transfer to the city’s jail on charges of qualified human trafficking.
Need for vigilance
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, on the other hand, called for public vigilance in light of the recent developments on Alice Guo, or Guo Hua Ping.
“Correct, we need to still be vigilant even after the filing of cases, because that is only the first step,” Gatchalian said in an interview on Radio DZBB.
“What’s important is to win the case and that the evidences and the testimony of witnesses would be used against her,” he said.
Gatchalian said he agrees with the Pasig Regional Trial Court’s order for Guo to be transferred to a regular jail cell.
“She really needs to be transferred to one of our normal jails. In this particular case, the Pasig Court wants her transferred to the Pasig City Jail. I agree to that, because the government shouldn’t give special treatment. It’s important that she is transferred to a normal jail. If they delay it further, questions would be raised because that is unusual. It’s important to follow the court’s orders,” he said.
Gatchalian said he is also looking forward for the Senate committee on women and children to wrap up its investigation into the POGO hub in Bamban, Tarlac that is being linked to Guo so it can now move to the hub in Porac, Pampanga.
“Yes, because that Porac POGO hub was also huge, almost as huge as the one in Bamban. The same personalities are also intertwined,” he said.