Metro Manila, Philippines – After publicly admitting that she is not dismissed Mayor Alice Guo’s biological sister and revealing details about their supposed escape, could Shiela Guo turn state witness?
In an interview with reporters on Wednesday, Justice Undersecretary Nicholas Felix Ty suggested the possibility of Shiela collaborating with the government.
“Dahil kahapon nga, di ba, may sinabi si Senator Risa (Hontiveros) na maaaring nilaglag na itong si Shiela Guo ng kanyang kinakapatid, no, at ng kanyang kinikilalang magulang,” Ty said.
[Translation: Because yesterday, didn’t Senator Risa (Hontiveros) say that Sheila Guo might have been abandoned by her supposed sibling and the people she considers as her parents?]
“Baka naman gusto tayo tulungan ni Shiela… laban kay Alice, laban kay Wesley at laban sa kung sino man ang dapat madawit sa mga kasong to,” he added.
[Translation: Maybe Sheila wants to help us… against Alice, against Wesley, and against whoever else should be involved in these cases.]
Asked if this means Shiela could turn state witness, Ty said it may be premature though he believed she is “qualified.”
“Kasi kung tutuusin, hindi naman siya yung pinaka may pakana nitong mga ilegal na bagay… kung maniniwala tayo kahapon sa mga asta niya, ay parang nadamay lang siya, or napahamak lang siya ng mga kasamahan niya,” Ty said.
“Abangan natin kung anong mangyayari, madami pang maaaring mangyari dito,” he added.
[Translation: Because if we really think about it, she’s not the mastermind behind these illegal activities… If we believe her behavior yesterday, it seems like she just got caught up in it or was put in a bad situation by her companions. Let’s wait and see what happens; a lot can still unfold here.]
In a separate media interview, Justice Secretary Crispin “Boying” Remulla stopped short of rejecting the idea but cast doubt on Shiela’s testimonies.
“Hindi ako naniniwala kay Shiela e… Hindi ako naniniwalang si Alice Guo sasakay ng fishing boat ng tatlong araw para makarating sa Sabah,” Remulla said.
[Translation: I don’t believe Sheila… I don’t believe that Alice Guo would take a fishing boat for three days to get to Sabah.]
He was referring to Sheila’s claim that she and siblings Alice and Wesley boarded a total of three boats from somewhere in the Philippines to Sabah, Malaysia, in July.
“Hindi siya reliable witness so far. Kailangan talaga patunayan na kailangang kailangan yung kanyang testimonya upang mangyari ang lahat,” Remulla said.
[Translation: She hasn’t been a reliable witness so far. It’s essential to prove that her testimony is crucial for everything to happen.]
Lawmakers also took Shiela’s testimony with a grain of salt.
“May mga inamin siya that checks out with the information we previously gathered. Pero may mga sinabi pa rin siyang kaduda-duda… Pwedeng nagsisinungaling, nagmamaang-maangan, o talagang ignorante,” said Senator Risa Hontiveros, who led Tuesday’s hearing.
[Translation: She admitted some things that align with the information we previously gathered. However, she also said some things that are still questionable… She might be lying, playing dumb, or truly ignorant.]
“Nagsisinungaling siya. Marami siyang alam na hindi niya sinasabi. Napaso na tayo kay Guo Hua Ping (Alice Guo), remember, ganyan na ganyan rin ang sagot, maraming mga inconsistency,” Senator Win Gatchalian said.
[Translation: She’s lying. She knows a lot that she’s not revealing. We’ve been burned before with Guo Hua Ping, remember? The answers were very similar, with many inconsistencies.]
