The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday confirmed that criminal charges have been filed against Sheila Guo, sister of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo, and Katherine Cassandra Li Ong, the authorized representative of the raided illegal Pogo hub in Porac, Tarlac.
The DOJ-National Prosecution Service has earlier recommended that Guo, alias Zhang Mier, be charged with violation of Art. 150 for disobedience to summons issued by the Senate, and for violation of Republic Act 11983 for using a false Philippine passport.
"Filed na yan. Kahapon ng hapon yan sa Pasay (It was filed yesterday afternoon in Pasay City)," Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla told reporters.
Meanwhile. Ong was charged with disobedience to a summons issued by the House of Representatives and for obstruction of justice for harboring, concealing, or facilitating the escape of a criminal offender.
Separate charges for falsification against the two were recommended to be remanded to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for case build-up and further investigation.
Shiela and Ong were repatriated to the country last week and remained under the custody of the NBI.
Guo appeared before the Senate on Tuesday and recounted how she, Alice, and their other siblings fled the country aboard several sea vessels.
Shiela also revealed that she moved to the Philippines in her teens and she is not a biological sister of Alice.
However, Remulla expressed doubts over the veracity of Guo’s testimony in the Senate on how they managed to flee the country.
He said a trip from Central Luzon is roughly more than a 1,000-kilometer travel in rough seas to Malaysia.
He said that the six-hour trip from Palawan is more likely to have been the route taken instead of the multi-day trip from the North, as claimed by Shiela.
"Marami syang 'di ko alam,' di ako makapaniwala dun (She had many ‘I don’t know,’ and I can’t believe that). We cannot believe everything she says,” Remulla said.
BI: Alice Guo in Jakarta
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) said the dismissed mayor is in Jakarta, based on information provided by its Indonesian counterpart.
In a television interview Wednesday, BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval said Guo transferred to Jakarta when she parted ways with Shiela in the Indonesian city of Batam.
“Naghiwa-hiwalay po sila at balak sana nila na bumalik ng Singapore kung saan meron silang kakilala doon, kakutsaba, nag-assist sa kanila while they are in Singapore (They parted ways and they were planning to return to Singapore where they have an acquaintance, a cohort who assisted them while they were in Singapore),” Sandoval said.
She also said it would not take long before the dismissed mayor’s whereabouts would be known.
“Mukhang lumiliit na ang mundo ni Alice. Of course, limited din ang time natin. Kung hindi po ako nagkakamali 30 days ang ating (It seems Alice’s world is getting smaller. Of course, we have limited time. If I’m not mistaken, Filipinos have a visa-free limit of 30 days of) allowed stay in Indonesia, and if she is not able to depart that country by that time, dagdag pa ‘yan sa rason para hulihin at i-deport po siya ng Indonesian immigration (it would add to the reasons for her to be deported by the Indonesian immigration),” Sandoval said.
She said their Indonesian counterparts have been informed that Guo is considered an illegal alien because of the charges she is facing in the Philippines.
Sandoval, meanwhile, said they already have information on those who helped Guo and her companions flee the country.
She, however, said “it would be best for the DOJ to reveal this information.” (with Ferdinand Patinio/PNA)
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