It will take more time for dismissed Mayor Alice L. Guo of Bamban, Tarlac to be returned to the Philippines if Indonesia seeks a prisoner swap, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said on Thursday, Sept. 5.
“Kaya mas maganda sana hindi talaga kaliwaan (That’s why it would be better if there would be no exchange),” said DOJ Undersecretary Nicholas Felix L. Ty during an interview on Teleradyo.
“Kung pwede sana mauna na maiuwi si Mayor Guo tapos saka na natin pag-usapan itong hiling ng Indonesia (It would be better for Guo to be returned to the Philippines before we discuss about this request of Indonesia),” he added.
On the other hand, Ty admitted the Indonesian government has made no formal request for a prisoner swap.
“Pero sa ngayon wala pang pormal na hiling. So tingnan na lang natin kung ano ang mangyayari (But there has been no formal request. So let’s see what will happen),” he said.
“Haka-haka pa lang naman itong usapan natin. ‘Wag na muna tayo doon, umaasa pa rin tayo na madaling mauwi itong si Mayor Alice Guo (These are all speculations. Let’s not dwell on that and just hope that Guo will be immediately brought back to the Philippines),” he also said.
The DOJ official pointed this out amid news reports that the Indonesian government will turn over Guo to Philippine custody in exchange for Australian national Gregor Johann Haas, who was arrested by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) in Cebu on May 15.
Ty admitted that it will take time before Guo returns to the Philippines should Indonesia chooses this route.
“Maaaring tumagal dahil baka dumaan pa ito ng diplomatic channels, baka dumaan pa sa DFA (This will take time because this will go through diplomatic channels, it might go through the Department of Foreign Affairs),” explained the undersecretary.
“Tapos bukod doon kailangan natin isecure ‘yung gusto nilang tao dito, itong si Haas (Apart from that, we will have to secure Haas),” he added.
The DOJ official reminded: “Prerogative ng isang bansa ang pagtrato ng foreign nationals na undesirable (it is the prerogative of a country how it treats undesirable foreign nationals).”
“May mga prosesong dinadaan ito (There is a process it has to go through),” he said.
Guo, who is being linked to the criminal activities of some Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) managed to slip out of the Philippines despite an arrest order of the Senate and the issuance of an Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order (ILBO).
She is currently facing criminal complaints before the DOJ on charges of qualified trafficking in persons, money laundering, and tax evasion.
The BI’s Fugitive Search Unit (BI-FSU) arrested Haas in Bogo, Cebu and is now detained in the bureau detention facility in Taguig City.
The bureau said in a previous statement that Haas has been the subject of “a standing red notice by the Interpol (International Criminal Police Organization) which stemmed from a criminal case that was filed against him in Indonesia.”
“An arrest warrant against Haas was reportedly issued last Jan. 29 by the national narcotics board of Indonesia which filed a case for drug smuggling against him,” explained the BI.
“Indonesian authorities have accused Haas, who has alleged links to the Sinaloa drug cartel, of being behind the attempt to smuggle into Indonesia on Dec. 11, 2023 a shipment of floor ceramics filled with more than five kilograms of the illegal methamphetamine drug substance,” it added.
The bureau said the illegal drugs that were seized by Indonesian authorities were discovered through testimonies of arrested drug couriers who revealed that the packages were sent by Haas from Guadalajara, Mexico.