MANILA, Philippines — Shiela Guo may be used as a scapegoat for her family’s alleged involvement in illegal activities.
This is what Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said during a Kapihan sa Senado on Thursday, August 29.
The senator added the Guo family appeared to be made up of professional liars and swindlers.
Shiela, the supposed sister of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo, claimed no knowledge of her family’s involvement in Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO) during the Senate’s investigation into their family’s escape from the country.
“May possibility na ‘yung Guo family ay ginagamit lang ang mga taong ito para pumirma ng mga dokumento at gawing pain para kung may mangyayri, sila ‘yung magiging scapegoat, sila ang babagsakan ng mga kaso,” Gatchalian said, referring to Shiela and POGO incorporator Cassandra Ong.
(There is a possibility that the Guo family is just using these people to sign off on documents and to turn into an offering so that if something happens, they become the scapegoat, the cases will fall on them.)
The evidence is stacked against Shiela, who signed off on the Guos’ financial statements as a corporate secretary.
Gatchalian said that Shiela signed at least 90 documents for her family’s businesses. On top of being a corporate secretary, Shiela’s roles in her family’s companies include a treasurer and a chief finance officer.
“We have to be very careful with this Guo family, they are like professional liars and professional swindlers,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino.
The senator referred to Shiela as the financial center of her family’s operations, adding that they would not entrust a random person to affix their signature on such documents.
Senators were left with more questions than answers during the Senate hearing on Thursday, August 27. Their questions to Shiela were often met with “I do not know.”
Gatchalian pointed out that Shiela’s narrative was similar to that of Alice’s when the dismissed mayor faced the Senate.
To recall, Alice was unable to recall basic information about her childhood, reiterating the same story that she was just a simple girl who was homeschooled.
Shiela admitted to escaping the country with her family but could not recall the exact date, or mode of transportation.
Be the first to comment