Metro Manila, Philippines — Two companions of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo have been detained in Indonesia, Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos said on Thursday, Aug. 22.
Abalos cited a report from the Philippine National Police (PNP) in which it identified the two as Shiela Guo and Cassandra Li Ong.
Abalos said the police attaché in Indonesia helped in the detention of the two.
“Even sa ibang bansa, through our police attaché, ito’y kino-coordinate. It only shows na talagang seryoso dito ang kapulisyahan,” Abalos told reporters on the sidelines of this year’s Local Governance Summit.
[Translation: Even in other countries, through our police attaché, this is being coordinated. It only shows that the police are serious.]
On Aug. 19, Senator Risa Hontiveros bared that Guo escaped the country despite an immigration lookout bulletin against her.
The Immigration Bureau then said the former mayor “illegally” travelled to Malaysia in July. She proceeded to Singapore allegedly with her siblings Wesley and Shiela Guo.
Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said Guo’s exit was not recorded on the immigration system.
“Siguro [Maybe] what is important here is to compare the dates, unang-una [first], to compare the records,” Abalos said.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. warned people who helped Guo leave the country that they will be held accountable.
Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin has already requested for the cancellation of the passports of Guo and her siblings.
Guo has been the subject of a Senate investigation amid her supposed involvement in an illegal offshore gaming linked to a number of criminal activities.
Shiela is the former mayor’s sister. Ong is the incorporator of Lucky South 99, an offshore gaming operator in Porac, Pampanga that was raided by authorities.
Santa Rosa, Laguna Rep. Dan Fernandez said in a House hearing that Ong is under the custody of Indonesia’s immigration bureau.
“As a matter of fact, our police attaché and the PNP chief are in coordination with the Bureau of Immigration of Indonesia,” Fernandez said.
In a Facebook post, Senator Raffy Tulfo said Shiela and Ong will be brought back to the Philippines at past 5 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 22.
They were caught in a mall in Riau, Indonesia on Aug. 20.
The two were with Alice when they entered Jakarta via a cruise ship from Singapore.
