August 29, 2024 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — Shiela Guo, the purported sister of dismissed Bamban mayor Alice Guo, can become a state witness in the investigation into illegal activities of Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs), an official of the Department of Justice said yesterday.
DOJ Undersecretary Nicholas Felix Ty said that while he does not want to preempt the proceedings, Shiela is qualified to be a state witness as she seems to be only implicated in illegal activities.
“When you come to think of it, she isn’t the mastermind behind the illegal activities. If we will believe her in her testimony yesterday, it seems like she was just dragged into it or was harmed by her companions,” Ty said in an ambush interview at the Senate.
Ty explained this is only a possibility as it is the DOJ and the courts that will determine who may be a state witness.
“A case should be filed against her and she would then be discharged on the ground that she will be a state witness,” he said.
Shiela Guo was apprehended in Indonesia and was repatriated back to the Philippines. The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) earlier said she is a Chinese citizen named Zhang Mier who fraudulently acquired a Philippine passport.
At a Senate hearing, Guo admitted that she was not born in the Philippines but in China and was brought to the country in 2001 by her foster father to help in his business.
She revealed that she, Alice and their brother Wesley fled the country by boat in July, which allowed them to bypass immigration checks despite being on the immigration lookout bulletin.
Shiela admitted that Alice is not her biological sister and that she only met the dismissed mayor when she was 17 years old. It was Angelito Guo, who was also not her biological father, who introduced her to Alice.
She also denied knowing about the operations of the raided POGO in Bamban and the location of Alice.
Raps filed vs Shiela, Ong
The DOJ filed charges against Shiela Guo and Cassandra Li Ong, the alleged associates of dismissed mayor Alice Guo.
Justice Undersecretary Raul Vasquez said charges of disobedience to summons, a violation under Article 150 of the Revised Penal Code, have been filed against Shiela, also known as Zhang Mier, and Ong before a Pasay court.
The filing was based on a resolution issued by the National Prosecution Service of the DOJ.
The charges stemmed from Shiela and Ong’s evasion of arrest orders issued by the Senate and the House of Representatives, respectively.
Aside from the disobedience to summons charges, Shiela is also facing charges for using a fake Philippine passport in violation of Section 22, Paragraph (b)(2) of Republic Act 11983 or the new Philippine Passport Act. This is for allegedly obtaining her Philippine passport fraudulently.
Ong, meanwhile, is also facing charges of obstruction of justice for harboring, concealing or facilitating the escape of a criminal offender in violation of Section 1(c) of Presidential Decree 1829.
The DOJ also recommended that charges against Shiela and Ong – for falsification and violations of RA 8329 and Commonwealth Act 613 – be referred to the NBI and other law enforcement agencies “for case build up and further investigation.”
30 days in Indonesia
Guo is allowed to stay in Indonesia for only 30 days, Bureau of Immigration (BI) spokesperson Dana Sandoval said yesterday.
“Guo and her brother Wesley’s time is limited. If I am not mistaken, Filipinos who are on visa free are only allowed to stay in Indonesia for 30 days. There is a time limit and if she does not depart the country by that time, this would be another reason for the Indonesian Immigration to apprehend her and deport her,” Sandoval said on OnePH.
“They are in Indonesia already but they are unable to simply cross the border to any other Asian country. The Indonesian Immigration is on the lookout for them already,” she added.
If Alice Guo makes an attempt to leave the country or try to cross the border to another country – just like what Shiela and Ong did – Sandoval said this would be the opportunity for Indonesian Immigration to have jurisdiction and deport her immediately to the Philippines.
Expedite money launder charges
The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) should expedite the filing of anti-money laundering charges against Guo and her cohorts, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said yesterday.
“We’re getting impatient with the case because it’s obvious that there was money laundering involved in the establishment of a POGO hub in Bamban,” Gatchalian said during the Senate probe on Guo’s escape.
AMLC deputy director for Investigation and Enforcement Department Adrian Arpon said the agency hopes to file the first money laundering case in relation to the Bamban POGO within the week for preliminary investigation.
On the Porac POGO case, Arpon said the AMLC investigation is still ongoing and they are still gathering information.
DOJ’s Ty said that one option is to request a precautionary hold departure order from the court.
Gatchalian had earlier urged Shiela to cooperate with the government in its probe on the anomalies related to the Bamban POGO hub.
“What you can do now is tell the truth about Alice Guo’s involvement in POGO and what her activities are. Help the government,” Gatchalian told Shiela. – Cecille Suerte Felipe, Evelyn Macairan
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