PAOCC Mulls Filing Criminal Charges vs Lawyer Who Claimed To Have Seen Alice Guo

August 22, 2024 Philippines Crime & Legal

The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) announced August 21, 2024, its intention to file criminal charges against Atty. Elmer Galicia. This follows Galicia’s claim that he met with dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo on August 14, which PAOCC officials dispute.

PAOCC spokesperson Winston Casio revealed that information from various immigration authorities contradicts Galicia’s account.

“Based on the information and the verified information coming from the different immigration authorities ng ating Asean [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] neighbors, we don’t believe it to be true,” Casio was quoted as saying in an August 21 report published by the Inquirer.

(“Based on the information and the verified information coming from the different immigration authorities of our ASEAN neighbors, we don’t believe it to be true.”)

Casio stated that Guo was confirmed to have been in Indonesia after August 14. He noted that Guo flew to Batam, Indonesia on August 18.

More legal troubles await Guo, according to Casio. “There are other cases that are waiting to be filed against the dismissed Mayor Guo Hua Ping [Alice’s real name],” he said. (“So, in the next few weeks that will also come out. There are already many cases, her tax evasion has come out, her qualified trafficking in person has come out, there is also a case with the Ombudsman. So, a few more cases will be filed as we proceed.”)

Casio added that the resolution from a Department of Justice panel on the existing cases against Guo is pending. If a resolution is reached, it could lead to an international arrest warrant or red notice from Interpol.

Senator Risa Hontiveros previously disclosed that Guo left the Philippines in July, using her Philippine passport. The Bureau of Immigration confirmed that Guo “left the country illegally” and traveled to Malaysia without passing through immigration controls.

Galicia, who operates in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan, confirmed meeting Guo on August 14. He claimed he encountered Guo unexpectedly outside his office and notarized her counter-affidavit. “Ito pong si Ka-Allan, nilapit niya po sa akin para daw po magpapanotaryo daw siya,” Galicia said. (“This person named Ka-Allan approached me for notarization.”)

Galicia insisted that Guo’s appearance and request for help did not seem to indicate an intention to evade the law. “Pakiramdam ko nangangailangan ng tulong itong tao at bakit ko ide-deny, duty ko ‘to bilang abogado na mag-represent,” he stated. (“I felt that this person needed help, and why would I deny it? It’s my duty as a lawyer to represent her.”)