Shiela Guo admits escape with Alice; questions abound

SHIELA Leal Guo yesterday admitted that she left the country last July with elder sister Alice Guo, the dismissed mayor of Bamban, Tarlac, and brother Wesley via a circuitous route that took them to Malaysia but displayed selective amnesia in recalling basic details about their escape or her personal life.

She also claimed during the first Senate hearing on their escape that she was born in China and Alice is not her biological sibling, contrary to what the dismissed Bamban mayor had said in past Senate hearings.

Meanwhile, Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco admitted they received information last August 15 from the PNP Intelligence Group (PNP IG) that Alice had left the country but did not immediately relay the information to the Department of Justice, saying they needed to verify the information.

“Upon receipt of the information, we conducted validation. We got the confirmation on the morning of August 19, and (on) August 20 all information was validated. We informed the DOJ on August 20 because of the conflicting information on the flight details. We also checked kung gumamit sila ng (if they escaped via) airport or seaport. So, when we got the right information, that was the time that we informed the DOJ,” Tansingco said.

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian earlier said the BI had information that Alice had escaped even before Senate deputy minority leader Risa Hontiveros delivered a privilege speech last August 19 disclosing that Alice Guo had arrived in Malaysia on July 18.

Shiela disclosed the information a day after the National Bureau of Investigation turned her over to the Senate and five days after she and Cassandra Li Ong, a business associate of Alice, were arrested in Indonesia and sent back to Manila.

Shiela, Alice, Wesley, and Xiemen Guo have standing warrants of arrest issued by the Senate for snubbing the hearings of the Committee on Women over crimes linked with the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators industry that was ordered banned by President Marcos Jr. during his third SONA speech.

The BI has filed a deportation case against Shiela Guo for “misrepresentation” since she has Chinese and Philippine passports.

USING BOATS

Sheila said she, Alice