DILG prepares for surrender of Wesley Guo

MANILA, Philippines — The government is working with its international counterparts for the surrender of Wesley Guo, the brother of dismissed Bamban mayor Alice Guo.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos said efforts are underway to bring Wesley, who was among those ordered arrested by the Senate after refusing to appear in its probe on illegal Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs), back to the country.

The lawyer of the Guo family, Stephen David, earlier said Wesley plans to surrender following the arrest of his sister in Indonesia.

Apart from their international counterparts, Abalos said also involved in the talks are the Philippine National Police (PNP) and Wesley’s camp.

The department chief said Wesley himself relayed his plan to surrender, though Abalos was tight-lipped when pressed for details.

He stressed that other pieces of information that may come out in public could preempt efforts to put Wesley under government custody.

“There are people who are handling everything. That’s what I would say for now,” he said.

There were previous reports that Wesley attempted to enter Hong Kong from Indonesia after his other sister Shiela and their associate Cassandra Ong were apprehended by Indonesian authorities.

Asked to comment, Abalos said Wesley is moving to different countries to avoid arrest.

“We always have to coordinate with other international agencies here,” he said.

Abalos assured Wesley of his safety, similar to how they secured his sisters and Ong when they were brought back to the country.

He added the Senate’s arrest order is enough to hold Wesley in custody.

“Give us an inch of anything that is legal and we will make the most out of this. We are working on our counterparts abroad to do this,” Abalos said.

He urged Wesley to surrender, noting the latter’s options to evade arrest were getting smaller.

“His circle is getting smaller, so he will be surely arrested,” he said.

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) continues to look into how Alice Guo left the country last month, including possible exits from two provinces in Luzon.

The agency said they came up with theories that the Guo siblings and Ong left the Philippines either from