Sec Remulla orders probe on Alice Guo's departure from Philippines
Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla on Tuesday, August 20, ordered an investigation on how dismissed Mayor Alice L. Guo of Bamban, Tarlac snuck out of the Philippines.
Ordered to investigate were the Bureau of Immigration (BI) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
Both BI and NBI were directed to probe on how Guo managed to leave the country despite being listed in the immigration lookout bulletin order (ILBO) and the arrest order issued by the Senate.
Also Remulla said: “In addition, we will also delve into the possibility that the camp or legal counsels of the embattled ex-mayor may have had a hand in her slippery exit from the Philippines so let me reiterate that as much as lawyers have an obligation to protect the interests of their clients, they also have a broader responsibility to uphold the Rule of Law and safeguard public interest."
Remulla assured that BI personnel who may be involved will be held accountable for having allowed Guo to flee the country.
“As civil servants, we have sworn to the country our unwavering integrity, transparency and accountability in all our actions and decisions,” he stated.
He warned BI personnel involved that “it’s either you come out and unveil the truth or wait until I personally get to the bottom of this where heads will roll and all hell will break loose.”
BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said on Monday, August 19, that he received information from counterparts that Guo flew to Malaysia last July and then went to Singapore on July 21 with her siblings Shiela and Wesley.
Tansingco said that on August 19 the group was monitored to have traveled to Indonesia.
Guo is facing before the DOJ a complaint for qualified trafficking in persons in connection with her involvement in the illegal activities of the Zun Yuan Technology Center, a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) that has been raided by authorities in Bamban town.
Last Friday, August 16, her lawyers filed a motion with an attached counter-affidavit that asked the panel of prosecutors of the DOJ to re-open the preliminary investigation of the case.
The documents showed last August 14 Guo swore before a notary public the authenticity of her statements contained in the counter-affidavit. Notarizing a document by a lawyer who is commissioned by the Supreme Court as a notary public needs the physical presence of the affiant.