Dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo could be considered a state witness should investigations into the illegal activities of a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub in her town lead to a “mastermind” of the scheme, a top official of the Department of Justice (DOJ) said Saturday.
“If for example, may makita tayong mas malaking tao sa investigation, hindi na magiging most guilty si former Mayor Alice Guo,” DOJ Assistant Secretary and spokesperson Mico Clavano said at a news forum in Quezon City.
Guo earlier said she fled the country because of death threats.
In a video posted on Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos’ Facebook account of his Thursday meeting with Guo in Jakarta, Guo was heard saying, “Sec, patulong. May death threat po kasi ako.”
During the same forum, Abalos said he told the former Bamban town mayor to divulge everything she knew.
“Sinabi niya na may malalaking tao na [involved]… sinabi niya ang kanyang buhay ay nanganganib… Basta isa lang ang sabi ko sa kanya, ‘Sabihin mo lahat ng nalalaman mo. ‘Wag ka matakot sa buhay mo…poproteksyunan ka namin,’” the Interior chief said.
“Lahat ng alam niya ibuga niya, sabihin niya sa Senado. Sabihin niya sa mga otoridad,” Abalos added.
Guo is facing human trafficking and money laundering charges stemming from her involvement in the illegal POGO hub in Bamban town.
“Right now, dahil sa ating mga alam, dahil sa mga lumalabas sa investigation, she still stands as the most guilty, thereby disqualifying her to become a state witness,” Clavano said.
“But if matumbok natin at may makilala pa tayong mas malaking tao na nagpapaikot sa mga illegal activities ng POGO then she may become a state witness because she will no longer be the most guilty, meron pang mas mastermind,” the DOJ official said.
Clavano noted that making Guo a state witness also “depends on the willingness of former mayor Alice Guo to cooperate with law enforcement and with authorities.”
Guo disappeared from the public eye after attending Senate hearings in May. The hearings examined her alleged involvement in the raided POGO hub in her locality, prompting the Senate to issue an arrest order against her.
The dismissed mayor left the country in July despite her name being on an immigration lookout bulletin.
She arrived in the Philippines from Indonesia early Friday morning. — DVM, GMA Integrated News
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