Mary Ann Maslog (Senate Social Media Unit)

Mary Ann Maslog, the suspect in the 1998 textbook scam who was presumed dead, reportedly flew to Indonesia to help negotiate the surrender of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo.

Maslog, who is now using the alias of Jessica Francisco, was recently detained at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) after an investigation revealed that Maslog and Francisco were the same person.

During the ongoing Senate investigation into illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) on Tuesday, Oct. 8, Maslog claimed that she was “tapped” by the Philippine National Police Intelligence Group (PNP-IG) to convince Guo to surrender.

Guo had earlier illegally departed the country to evade authorities.

However, even before Guo fled to Indonesia, Maslog said she was already in contact with the former mayor, who explained to her that “dignified na mag-surrender po siya (that she is dignified if she surrenders)”.

According to Maslog, the PNP-IG knew that she was a friend of Sual, Pangasinan Mayor Liseldo “Dong” Calugay—who was suspected to have had a romantic relationship with Guo.

Senators were quick to point out the absurdity of this situation--why did the police supposedly use a private citizen, without any connection to government agencies, to facilitate the surrender of a prominent suspect?

“I was just helping, your honor,” said Maslog, who received with doubt from the panel headed by Senator Risa Hontiveros.

Maslog, who was present in Indonesia when Guo was arrested there, said her flight expenses were reimbursed by the PNP-IG.

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) confirmed that Maslog was able to fly to Indonesia using her alias, Francisco.

Another ‘textbook’ scam?

Unconvinced with Maslog’s claims, the Senate panel called in PNP-IG officer-in-charge Brigadier General Romeo Macapaz to verify.

Macapaz was quick to debunk the assertions, and noted that it was Maslog who contacted the PNP-IG to help facilitate the surrender of Guo.

Maslog supposedly claimed that she has “access” to the former mayor’s legal counsel Stephen David.

“That time, hinahabol namin si Alice Guo, so naka blangko kami. ‘Yung sinabi niyang ‘yung abogado ay may contact siya. We were hoping na may direct contact nga siya doon. At sinasabi na si Alice ay willing to surrender,” said Macapaz.

(At that time, we were seeking Alice Guo, so we faced a blank wall. She said she had contact with the lawyer. We were hoping she had direct contact there. And she was saying that Alice was willing to surrender.)

According to Macapaz, they did not reimburse Maslog’s flight to Indonesia. He explained that he did not know why she was even there.

This would prompt Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa to cite Maslog in contempt for lying before the committee.

“I move that this Mary Ann Maslog be cited in contempt. Kanino tayo maniwala sa isang textbook scammer o itong one star general? (Who should we believe, a textbook scammer or this one-star general?),” asked Dela Rosa.

His motion was quickly seconded.

'I can pin you down' 

Dela Rosa, a former PNP chief, insisted that Maslog had been tasked to meet with Guo based on “instructions” by “someone from Malacañang”.

“Mayroon akong information na you are being used para papirmahin si Alice Guo ng affidavit na magtuturo na si [former] President [Rodrigo] Duterte, si Senator Bong Go, si Senator Bato, General [Romeo] Caramat ay nasa likod ng POGO. Mayroong tao from Malacanang na nag-uutos sa ‘yo,” the senator said.

(I have information that you are being used to make Alice Guo sign an affidavit implicating President Duterte, Senator Bong Go, Senator Bato, and General Caramat as being behind POGO. Someone from Malacañang is instructing you.)

“Mayroon akong information (I have information). I can pin you down, my God!” he stressed.

Dela Rosa alleged that this was supposed to happen when Maslog visited Guo in her detention cell following her return to the Philippines.

Macapaz confirmed that, “out of gratitude”, he facilitated Maslog’s visit to Guo in the PNP custodial center.

“There is an agent mishandling in this case…or mayro’n kang alam na mas mabigat na trabaho na binigay dito kay Mary Ann Maslog kaya wala kang control sa kaniya (Or maybe you know that a heavier task has been given to Mary Ann Maslog, which is why you have no control over her). Because somebody above you is controlling Mary Ann Maslog,” said Dela Rosa.

“Wala po akong alam diyan (I don't know anything about that),” replied Macapaz.

One name

Maslog, for her part, narrated that a certain “ALG” had informed her, through messages, about a list of supposed persons who were involved. As to what, she did not divulge.

Senators then assumed that ALG referred to Alice Leal Guo.

After initially refusing, she wrote one name on a piece of paper: Faeldon. This was supposedly a reference to Nicanor Faeldon, the former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief under the Duterte administration.

Guo, however, clarified that when Maslog visited her in detention, they discussed a viral photo of Faeldon and Duterte. She noted that Faeldon had a goat farm in Bamban, Tarlac.

Tuesday’s hearing was supposed to be the final one in the Senate’s probe into illegal POGOs. However, after hearing the new revelations, Hontiveros moved to schedule one more hearing.