MANILA, Philippines — The Senate on Tuesday conducted its first public hearing on the call to cancel the passport of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo to force her to return to the country to face the criminal charges filed against her.
Guo, together with her sister Shiela and business associate, Cassandra Ong, escaped the country in middle of July on board a chartered plane.
SHIELA GUO AT THE SENATE Shiela Guo, sister of fugitive ex-Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo (forefront, seated), appears before the Senate hearing led by Sen. Risa Hontiveros, on the call to cancel the passport of the local chief executive who reportedly sought refuge in Indonesia, on Aug. 27, 2024. PHOTO BY MIKE ALQUINTO
Shiela and Ong were arrested last week in Batam, Indonesia and were brought back to the Philippines. The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) placed the two under its custody.
Shiela Guo was in attendance after the NBI turned her over to the Senate on Monday. Ong, however, was turned over to the House of Representatives (HoR).
Sen. Risa Hontiveros has asked the HoR to allow Ong to attend the hearing at the Senate. But the HoR has yet to reply to the Senate’s request. The HoR is also set to conduct its own investigation into Guo’s escape.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III said, “We make this appeal public…maybe the House of Representatives to allow the appearance of Cassandra Li Ong in this particular Senate hearing being held today, right now.”
“Their hearing will be tomorrow. Cassandra Li Ong will be sent back on time,” said Pimentel, chairman of the Senate Committee on Justice.
“The Senate president pro tempore is here and he is very close with the House leadership. Maybe he can make representations,” Pimentel said, referring to Sen. Jinggoy Estrada.
Pimentel advised Shiela to “relax but tell the truth.” He also called on concerned government agencies to be frank and tell the Senate whether there were loopholes in the immigration law that allowed the Guos and Ong to flee the country.
Sen. Raffy Tulfo said, “Obviously, we have an immigration crisis. How many Alice Guos are there holding low profile positions in our government and private institutions but sensitive and important positions. This is really a national security issue.”
Pimentel, Hontiveros, and Tulfo–chairman of the Senate committees on justice; women, children, and family relations; and public services respectively–formed a tripartite committee to investigate Guos’ escape.
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