Who facilitated her escape?

MALACANANG yesterday directed the Foreign Affairs and Justice Departments to cancel the Philippine passport of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo to prevent her from continuing her flight from justice.

Immigration spokesperson Dana Krizia Sandoval yesterday said Guo is currently in Indonesia, arriving there a month after her escape from the Philippines, her final destination unknown.

In an interview with radio DZBB, Sandoval said Guo traveled to Malaysia from the Philippines on July 16, then arrived in Indonesia from Singapore on August 18.

Sandoval said that although Guo is a Chinese citizen, she has no valid Chinese passport, her last recorded Chinese passport having expired.

If her Philippine passport is canceled, Sandoval said Guo will find it impossible to travel or move from country to country.

“She could not travel without such a document. She will be automatically considered as an illegal alien in the country where she is since she will be an undocumented national and, as such, she could be deported to the Philippines,” Sandoval said.

This is where the August 20 memorandum by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin to DFA Secretary Enrique Manalo and DOJ Secretary Crispin Remulla will come in handy.

In the memorandum, the cancellation covers the passports of Alice Leal Guo (passport number P5469205B and set to expire on September 3, 2030); Wesley Leal Guo (P3953869C with expiration on April 25, 2035), Sheila Leal Guo (P0414405C with expiration on Jun 6, 2032), and Katherine Cassandra Li Ong (P7671640A with expiration on June 25, 2028).

Bersamin said under Republic Act No. 11983, or “New Philippine Passport Act,” the DFA secretary may cancel a passport in the interest of national security, or when the court issues an order for its cancellation as the holder is a fugitive from justice.

Malacanang’s order came after Senate deputy minority leader Risa Hontiveros, who reported the escape of Guo last Monday, asked the DFA to cancel the passport of Guo “to limit her travels.”

DOJ ORDER

Remulla has ordered an investigation on the escape of Guo despite the issuance of an immigration lookout bulletin order (ILBO) to monitor her