Alice Guo's business partner possibly linked to Chinese Triad, Gatchalian says

Dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo may have had great help in her escape from the Philippines in the possibility that Huang Zhiyang, her business partner may be linked to the so-called Chinese Triad, according to Senator Sherwin Gatchalian.

"Possible yan. (It's possible). I don't have any concrete information now. May mga information lang akong sinasabi sa akin kung sino siya. Hindi pa validated. Kaya masasabi kong possible yan (There's just information describing to me who he is. It's not validated yet. That's why I can say that it's possible)," he said in a press conference on Thursday, Sept. 12.

Gatchalian stated that he obviously has a great role in the Guos' escape.

As early as May, Senator Risa Hontiveros flagged Guo's ties to criminals.

In Baofu’s 2019 Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) documents, incorporators included Mayor Guo, Filipino national Rachel Joan Malonzo Carreon, Cypriot national Huang, Chinese national Zhang Ruijin, and Dominican national Baoying Lin. 

Zhang  was convicted for being linked to the reported “largest money laundering case in Singapore.” The Dominican national, Baoying, also faces charges. 

In previous Senate hearings, Guo has admitted knowing Huang and is actually her business partner. He remains on the run after authorities raided his rented Fontana Park villa in Clark, Pampanga, and confiscated his five passports.

"From Taiwan, kakalipad lang niya ng Hong Kong. So, makikita natin na gumagalaw siya. Importante ma-file natin yung case at tumakbo na yung case para maka-issue ng formal warrant of arrest dito sa ating bansa (From Taiwan, he just flew to Hong Kong. So we can see he's moving. What's important is that we file a case and for the case to run so we can issue a formal warrant of arrest here in the country)," Gatchalian said.

While they cannot categorically tag him as the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) big boss, Gatchalian said that so far, they can see that he's involved in the POGO hubs in Bamban, Porac and Fontana.

The other two personalities who apparently helped in Guo's escape are Duanren Wu; and Zhang Jie, the President of Lucky South 99.

"Nag-book ng hotel, nag-facilitate ng travels, may mga contact on the ground (They booked the hotels, facilitated the travels, they have contacts on the ground)," Gatchalian said.

"So, parang itong mga personalities, magkakakilala sila eh. Maybe it's not present in the documents, in those POGO Hubs, pero interaction-wise, magkakakilala sila (So, these personalities, they know each other. Maybe it's not present in the documents, in those POGO hubs, but interaction-wise, they know each other)," he added.