Senators on Thursday, August 22 expressed confidence that the long arm of the law will eventually catch up with dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo or Guo Hua Ping.
“I firmly believe that Guo Hua Ping would not be able to evade accountability for the numerous crimes she has committed. The long arm of the law will eventually catch up with her,” Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said in a statement.
Gatchalian also said he is confident that the apprehension of Sheila Guo and Cassandra Li Ong by Indonesia authorities today, means it is only a matter of time before Alice Guo is brought to justice.
“When Sheila Guo and Cassandra Ong arrive in the Philippines, they will be compelled to face a Senate investigation,” he pointed out.
“Sheila Guo is subject to an outstanding arrest order issued by the Senate, while Cassandra Ong has been cited for contempt. Their return is not just a procedural matter, it represents a critical turning point in our pursuit of justice,” he stressed.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros, chairperson of the Senate women and children’s panel that is looking into the involvement of Alice Guo in the illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) hubs in her town, commended the Indonesian authorities for their decisive action in upholding the law and maintaining security.
“Thanks to our international contacts, my office has also independently verified the apprehension of Cassandra Li Ong, and Alice Guo’s sibling Sheila Guo,” Hontiveros said.
“We commend the Indonesian authorities for their decisive action in upholding the law and maintaining security. This is a promising development, and a testament to our collective efforts,” she added.
“This goes to show how human trafficking facilitated by POGOs is a regional problem that needs a regional, even global, solution,” added the senator.
She said authorities were closely watching the movements of Cassandra Li Ong because she is the one who can clarify and identify those who should be held accountable to those who are really behind POGO Lucky South 99 in Porac, Pampanga.
“Ano nga ba ang kinalaman niya kina Alice Guo, Harry Roque, at iba pa? Sino ang nagpapuslit sa kanya at sa kapatid ni Alice Guo para makalabas sa bansa? (What exactly does she have to do with Alice Guo, Harry Roque, and others? Who helped her and Alice Guo leave the country)?” she said.
“At bakit butas-butas ang sistema natin sa immigration? Naniniwala ako na masasagot lahat yan sa ating susunod na hearing (And why is our immigration system full of holes? I believe that all of that will be answered in our next hearing),” she said.
Hontiveros said she expects Ong and Sheila Guo to attend the Senate’s next hearing on Tuesday, and they will be held accountable for avoiding the Upper Chamber’s summons.
Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero, meanwhile, said Sheila Guo would be arrested by the Senate’s Sergeant-at-Arms as soon as she is repatriated to the Philippines.
Escudero said they are still coordinating with the staff of Hontiveros for a possible contempt citation and disposition of Gatchalian’s pending motion to cite Ong in contempt.
But the House of Representatives, he noted, has a standing arrest warrant against Ong.
“Given that we do not, as of yet, have a warrant of arrest vs Cassandra, I instructed the Secretary General and Sgt-At-Arms to coordinate with their House counterparts regarding the enforcement by the House of the outstanding warrant of arrest issued by the House against Cassandra and to ensure her compliance with the subpoena issued by the Senate (which was not properly served given that she was already in hiding perhaps at that time) should the senate committee so require her attandance in coordination with the House,” Escudero said.