Suspended Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo is still in the Philippines, her lawyer said on Monday as the Senate’s Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms (OSAA) tries to locate and arrest her.
“Nakausap ko siya kahapon pero hindi ko alam kung saan siya. Pero 100% nasa Pilipinas siya. ‘Yun ang sinabi niya sa akin,” Guo’s lawyer Atty. Stephen David told GMA Integrated News’ Unang Balita in an interview.
(I talked to her yesterday but I don’t know where she is. But she is 100% in the Philippines. That’s what she told me.)
“Sabi nga niya sa akin, paano naman siya makakalabas ng Pilipinas may lookout order siya at saka ang higpit ng mga airports natin. Ayaw ko namang insultuhin ang ating mga Immigration na kaya silang palusutan ng isang tao,” he added.
(Like what she told me, how can she leave the Philippines? She has a lookout order and our airports are strict. I don’t want to insult our [Bureau of] Immigration that someone can evade them.)
David said she advised Guo to attend the Senate inquiry but the suspended mayor refused due to her “physical and emotional condition” after being “traumatized” from the hearing.
“Actually, ‘yun ang matagal ko nang advice sa kanya. Lagi ko namang nire-remind siya kasi consequences nga. Kung hindi ka maka-attend ng hearing mawa-warrant siya,” he added.
(Actually, that’s my advice to her for a long time. I always remind her because there are consequences. If you can’t attend the hearing, you will get a warrant.)
For David, however, Guo would no longer be an effective resource person for the Senate hearing because of the risk of self-incrimination considering that criminal cases have already been filed against her.
“Hindi siya magiging effective kasi any question that may be asked about what she knows ay apektado ‘yung kanyang right against self-incrimination dahil nga may criminal cases siya sa Ombudsman at saka [Department of Justice],” he said.
(She will not be effective because any question that may be asked about what she knows will affect her right against self-incrimination because she has criminal cases with the Ombudsman and Department of Justice.)
“Kung magsasalita ka, ‘yung right against self-incrimination, anything you say may be used against you in the court of law. So ano ‘yung puwedeng itanong sa kaniya na hindi siya mase-self-incriminate?” he added.
(If you speak, [under] the right against self-incrimination, anything you say may be used against you in the court of law. So what can be asked of her so that she will not self-incriminate?)
The Senate issued arrest orders against Guo and seven other individuals for repeatedly failing to attend its investigation into the raided POGO hub in her town.
On Saturday, Guo’s accountant Nancy Gamo was arrested.
The OSAA on Sunday said it has already served the arrest orders against Guo and seven others.
However, only Gamo was found present at her last known address by OSAA personnel. Gamo has since been detained at the Senate under the custody of OSAA.
The Senate committee, chaired by Senator Risa Hontiveros, is investigating Guo’s alleged involvement in the illegal POGO hub that was raided in her own town.
Guo’s citizenship is also being questioned due to her inconsistent testimonies about her background and the supposed dubious documents regarding her Filipino citizenship.
But Guo has denied involvement in illegal POGO activities and maintained that she is a Filipino citizen.
The National Bureau of Investigation confirmed that Guo and Chinese passport holder Guo Hua Ping have the same fingerprints. —KG, GMA Integrated News
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