[Rappler Investigates] Alice Guo outwitted fools in gov’t

This administration is one big joke that knows not an iota about regulation and the administration of justice. How else can we explain the escape — long foreseen and anticipated by those who’ve seen it happen all too often in the past — of one smart Chinese woman who had managed to fool an entire government apparatus into believing that she was Filipino? It takes no special skill to suspect that bribery up to the billions of pesos went to persons in a position to let one simple-looking “farm girl” spin tangled lies and ultimately prance her way out of the country. (WATCH: Bamban Mayor Alice Guo on her parents and farm business)

The name Alice Guo (aka Guo Hua Ping) will forever be a legend for her masterful evasion of multiple layers of government agencies tasked to ensure she stays in the country to answer for her crimes. Her continued presence must have posed a security threat to those who were complicit in her suspected POGO (Philippine offshore gaming operator) criminal activities that China had shunned and banned, but which the Philippines, under Rodrigo Duterte, had welcomed with open arms. Only the strong-hearted could have said no to billions of pesos that would supposedly benefit the country in terms of employment. To probably save their own skin, it was best to just let her leave surreptitiously.

If you recall, the Senate had spent hours and hours of hearings over the past several months, with senators led by Risa Hontiveros and Sherwin Gatchalian grilling multiple personalities led by Guo herself. It was Hontiveros, too, who informed the public that the former mayor of Bamban, Tarlac, had left the country as early as July 18. Of course, there were strong words that emanated from the Palace, with no less than the President declaring: “The departure of Alice Guo has laid bare the corruption that undermines our justice system and erodes public trust.” His words, not mine. But it doesn’t end there. He also said: “LET ME BE CLEAR: Heads will roll.” His words, not anyone else’s. The cynics were quick to point out that the President indicated no timetable so he can take his sweet time for as long as he wishes. So let’s explicitly ask: By when will heads roll, Mr. President? By when do you want investigations completed?

A serious probe will necessarily involve several government agencies that should have made sure no escape would happen. Reporter Jairo Bolledo, who writes about the police and justice, identifies in this story red flags and questions that investigators should pursue. (READ: How did Alice go to Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia?) 

Let me list some of the more obvious ones that could have/should have acted more swiftly to pin down Guo, if not prevent her flight. Some government agencies should also be asked to provide key information to establish how the fugitive got away.

• The Senate – enforcement of the Senate arrest order
• Department of Justice – application by prosecutors for a precautionary hold departure order or fast-tracking of the filing of a human trafficking case in court that can merit the issuance of an arrest warrant and subsequent Interpol red notice alert
• Tarlac regional trial court – swift action on the cancellation of Guo’s birth certificate on account of irregularities spotted by the Office of the Solicitor General
• Department of the Interior and Local Government – if there was grant of a permit to travel 
• The National Bureau of Investigation and Philippine National Police – given high probability of flight, monitoring of Guo’s whereabouts and early alerts to other concerned government agencies
• Philippine Anti-Organized Crime Commission – monitoring of Guo
• Bureau of Immigration – Guo’s travel records, whether by air or sea
• Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines – flight records of airlines that supposedly carried Guo
• Philippine Ports Authority – exit records of vessels heading to Malaysia or Indonesia that could have carried Guo
• Clark International Airport and Ninoy Aquino International Airport – exit records of international aircraft and flight manifests
• Notary Public in Bulacan – notarization and certification of Guo’s personal appearance when she had already left the country
• Department of Foreign Affairs – early recommendation to the Palace to cancel Guo’s passport

What did I miss? Please let me know. We should ask, too, who could be guilty of obstruction of justice or perjury. Was Guo’s lawyer in the know? Did the notary public in Bulacan see a ghost or an Alice Guo twin? Was she escorted through air and sea ports? All these questions can be quickly answered with the power of the presidency demanding such.

Am I optimistic heads will roll? I harbor no illusions, but would be happy to have my skepticism proven to be misplaced. As Senator Hontiveros herself originally said in Filipino, “She (Guo) could not have left if government officials did not help her…. It’s like we allowed ourselves to be slapped by this foreigner who repeatedly made a mockery of our laws, rules, and processes.” Guo got away because such mockery was deemed acceptable with a hefty price tag.

CHINA AGENT? While we were being distracted by the POGO controversies, another Chinese citizen believed to be working as an “agent” of China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS) had been monitored by intelligence operatives since 2023. Named Zhang “Steve” Song, he was publicly known to be the bureau chief of Shanghai Wen Hui Daily.

Security and diplomatic reporter Bea Cupin wrote that the paper is owned by a company overseen by the Chinese Communist Party’s Shanghai committee. It’s normal for foreign journalists to interview officials and even hob-nob with local reporters to get a better understanding of political and economic dynamics and interests. Zhang raised alarms when practically no — if not very few — stories of his saw print. Suspicions were fanned by information that in 2022, the US itself had flagged him as an MSS agent when he was chief correspondent in Washington DC. 

Bea’s intelligence sources showed her an intel report that said Zhang had set up a “significant network” in strategic institutions that could possibly threaten national security. The concerns are valid, given efforts to contain foreign malign influence operations in the country. Read more in this exclusive story.

IF WORDS COULD KILL. The Philippine Senate, as we all know, is no longer the upper chamber we used to look up to for inspiring speeches, intelligent deliberations, and incisive questioning during committee hearings. It has ceased to be an esteemed body whose members were held in high regard because they clearly understood the role of the Senate as a check and balance against the possible excesses and abuses of the executive and the judiciary.

On August 20, the nation was witness to disappointing and despicable behavior by the Vice President that was tolerated by other senators who appeared content to kowtow to her. The setting was a budget hearing for the Office of the Vice President where opposition senator Risa Hontiveros merely asked Vice President Sara Duterte what her children’s book, Isang Kaibigan (A Friend), was all about. After all, the OVP had proposed to allocate P10 million for the publication of the book under its 2025 budget.

Evading the question, Duterte instead hurled accusations of “politicizing the budget.” Oh well. Watch the heated exchange here: At OVP budget hearing, Hontiveros to VP Sara: ‘Not everything is about you’. 

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