Lapses and corruption within law enforcement agencies led to the escape of dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo, Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) spokesperson Winston Casio said yesterday.
“There are moving parts in an escape operation such as the one they did. Forgive my language and forgive my frustration — napakatanga naman naming lahat sa law enforcement — kami lahat — at hindi namin siya nabantayan at nakita (We are all dumb in law enforcement – all of us – that we were not able to track her down while making her way out of the country),” Casio said in a press forum.
“We don’t live in a fantasy world — we have to accept the fact that corruption is seeping into some agencies of government.”
“Someone, somewhere dropped the ball. Someone, somewhere dribbled — kept on dribbling the ball — so we really have to investigate. Any investigation should begin with law enforcement agencies. Investigate us all. Call us out,” Casio added.
The PAOCC official admitted the commission received a tip that Guo was spotted in a private resort in the western tip of Luzon on July 14.
“When we attempted to serve the warrant and the mission order against Alice Guo or Guo Hua Ping, our source inside that particular location informed us that she left in two speed boats together with some members of her party in the early hours of our operation,” he said.
The next time Guo surfaced was in Denpasar in Indonesia on July 17 where she left for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
From Kuala Lumpur, Guo proceeded to Singapore to meet up with her relatives before returning to Indonesia, where her sister, Sheila Guo, and associate Cassandra Li Ong, were apprehended on Aug. 21.
Casio said Guo will likely evade China due to Beijing’s strict position on gambling-related crimes, and will instead attempt to leave for countries belonging to the so-called Golden Triangle — Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand.
Casio said the former mayor has ties to Cambodia as the Guo clan has established business and gambling interests in the country.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian earlier said government agencies may have conspired in helping Guo flee the country despite an immigration lookout bulletin.
The House committee on appropriations on Saturday said it will look into the use of intel funds following the escape of Guo and other high profile suspects.
“Congress takes the allocation and use of intelligence funds very seriously. The escape of former Mayor Alice Guo despite an immigration lookout bulletin is an incident of great concern,” committee chairman Rep. Elizaldy Co of Ako Bicol party-list said.
“We need to ensure that every peso of intelligence funds is spent judiciously. We want to prevent these lapses from happening again by ensuring stronger oversight and accountability,” he added.
Gatchalian, for his part, urged Sheila Guo and Ong to disclose relevant information about illegal POGO activities.
“Sheila’s role is crucial. She held officer and stockholder positions in most of the companies owned by the Guo family (while) Cassandra Ong is the authorized representative of Lucky South 99 and even went to Pagcor to discuss its license,” the senator said.
PAOCC said it may also seek the issuance of a red notice against a certain “ZJ” who assisted Sheila and Ong in booking a hotel in Indonesia.
Casio earlier said ZJ was Zhang Jie, a former president of the Lucky South 99 POGO that was raided in Porac, Pampanga.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “Guo might be headed to Southeast Asia ‘Golden Triangle’ — PAOCC”
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