Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla lamented the non-cooperation of the Malaysian government on the Philippines' investigation on the escape of dismissed mayor Alice L. Guo of Bamban, Tarlac.
Remulla said: “We have faced a stone wall. They don't want to give us the information."
His lament was aired during his interview on Wednesday, March 19, at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay with journalist Marichu A. Villanueva.
Guo, an alleged Chinese national who is facing cases for fabrication of her Philippine citizenship and her involvement in the criminal activities of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), managed to slip out of the country last year despite being already listed in the Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order (ILBO).
The dismissed mayor, who was believed to have passed through Malaysia when she escaped, was later caught in Indonesia and returned to the Philippines.
The Senate subcommittee on justice and human rights chaired by Sen. Risa Hontiveros is currently conducting a hearing on how Guo fled the Philippines.
“Hopefully Senator Hontiveros will find it in her heart of hearts to understand the dilemma that the BI (Bureau of Immigration) is facing in this case,” Remulla appealed.
He said: “Malaysia is supposed to give us the information. They know what flight entered, what aircraft entered where she was riding but they refused to give it to us."
"The case of Alice Guo is a very peculiar because Malaysia refused to cooperate with us," he also said.
He added: "Lahat lahat ginawa na namin (we did everything we could). We were already at the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) level."