Gatchalian to ‘challenge’ intel funds of law enforcement agencies

SEN. Sherwin Gatchalian yesterday said he would “challenge” the intelligence funds of law enforcement agencies due to their failure to detect the escape of dismissed Bamban mayor Alice Guo and her siblings last July.

In a statement, Gatchalian said there was an obvious failure of intelligence on the part of law enforcement agencies, adding he will “definitely ask these agencies how their intelligence funds are being spent and (how) they build an efficient intelligence network.”

Gatchalian said he would bring this up when the Senate deliberates on the proposed budgets for next year of the concerned law enforcement agencies.

He said the intelligence community should have known the whereabouts of Alice Guo right after her last appearance during a Senate hearing on May 22.

Based on the testimony of her supposed sister Shiela Guo, they were able to freely transfer from one place to another when they left the country for Malaysia on the first week of July.

“Malaya silang nakalipat ng iba’t ibang lugar o nakarating ng pantalan. Ano ang nangyari doon sa network na binuo ng mga enforcement agencies (They freely moved to different places going to the ports. What happened to the network which our enforcement agencies established?),” he said.

“Whether there was collusion or a failure of intelligence, there should be accountability on this issue,” he added.

He also slammed the “snail-paced” process in filing charges against Alice Guo and her alleged cohorts, who allegedly operated illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators hubs that were raided by authorities in Bamban, Tarlac and Porac, Pampanga.

“This is a learning process and it is important for our agencies to expedite the gathering of evidence for the immediate filing of cases. It is important that those responsible for the crimes happening in POGO hubs be made accountable,” Gatchalian said.

Shiela Guo admitted during last week’s Senate hearing that she, Alice, and Wesley Guo were picked up by two men on the Guo family farm in Bamban, Tarlac and traveled for hours until they reached a port where they rode a banca.

From there, Shiela said they went to another port and transferred to a larger vessel. She said they