Congressman Pledges 2-Month Salary for Information on Alice Guo Escape

September 30, 2024 Philippines Crime & Legal

Santa Rosa City Representative Dan Fernandez announced that he will donate two months of his congressional salary to any Bureau of Immigration (BI) employee who can shed light on how Alice Guo managed to leave the Philippines. This pledge came during a lengthy 14-hour hearing held by the House of Representatives’ quad committee on September 28, 2024 which focused on immigration issues and irregularities involving foreign nationals.

Fernandez expressed frustration with the BI, particularly regarding their role in allowing Guo, who was dismissed from office, to exit the Philippines in July without proper scrutiny.

His questioning raised concerns about potential connections between Guo and the immigration bureau. “I’ll be allotting my two-month salary here in Congress for the good people inside the Bureau of Immigration who can explain how Alice Guo was able to leave our country using our airports or seaports,” he was quoted as saying in a report published by the Inquirer. “This quad committee is serious about cleaning our government. Join us.”

The congressman’s remarks followed his investigation into flight patterns from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), which revealed flights to international destinations with little to no passenger traffic. “I checked the CAAP records. There were flights going to Kota Kinabalu and Singapore from Clark and Subic, where there were no passengers. They know the ports,” Fernandez added, emphasizing the laxity at the nation’s entry and exit points.

Fernandez acknowledged that not all BI personnel are corrupt, and he made a public appeal for honest employees to step forward and assist the committee. “They handle the division of checking those flights going in and out. Our seaports and airports are not strict. Thank you to all those immigration officers who are faithful to their duty. But for those who are bad eggs, we will be squaring off,” he asserted.

Alice Guo’s case has drawn significant media attention. She was arrested in Indonesia on September 4, amid investigations into her alleged connections to a Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) in Bamban. The dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor has consistently denied any involvement in illegal activities tied to the gaming industry. However, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has accused her of having business interests in Baofu Land Development Inc., a company linked to human trafficking violations at the POGO.

According to the DILG, Baofu purchased multiple parcels of land in Bamban in February 2019. The agency claims that Guo, who served as president of Baofu, has a significant financial stake in the company, contradicting her claims of divestment when she ran for mayor. The DILG pointed out that the amount Guo allegedly divested—P2.5 million—was “grossly incongruent” with her initial investment in the land, which totals approximately eight hectares.

These allegations led to a series of legal challenges for Guo, including a preventive suspension from the Office of the Ombudsman. Eventually, the Ombudsman dismissed her from office, ruling her guilty of grave misconduct. The decision included forfeiture of all her retirement benefits and a lifetime ban from holding public office.