Senate orders arrest of Alice Guo, her parents, siblings, others

The Office of the Philippines’ Senate Sergeant at Arms (OSAA) has mobilized four specialized teams to execute arrest warrants for suspended Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo and seven others. The arrest order was approved by Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero.

The arrests are rooted in contempt charges, which have been issued for their refusal to participate in the Senate investigation on criminal activities associated with Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs). This blatant defiance has led the Senate to take decisive action against the involved parties.

The head of OSAA, retired Philippine Army Lt. Gen. Roberto Ancan, orchestrated the deployment of the teams to apprehend Alice Guo, Sheila Leal Guo, Wesley Leal Guo, Jian Zhong Guo, Seimen Guo, Wen Yi Lin, Dennis Cunanan, and Nancy Gamo. The suspects are predominantly family members of Alice Guo, including her parents–Jian Zhong Guo and Wen Yi Lin–and siblings Seimen, Wesley and Sheila.

The OSAA is under strict instructions to serve the arrest orders within 24 hours and detain the individuals at its office. They are to remain in custody until they appear and testify before the Senate committee investigating POGOs or are cleared of the contempt charges.

Senator Risa Hontiveros, who chairs the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality, has mandated that the eight must appear before her committee on July 29 to address the charges against them.

Alice Guo’s legal team has approached the Supreme Court, seeking to annul the earlier subpoena issued by the Senate committee led by Hontiveros. Meanwhile, Stephen David, Guo’s lawyer, has stated that the Mayor will surrender once her mental state improves.

The suspended mayor has skipped two Senate hearings and claimed this is due to her deteriorating mental health condition, but her camp failed to submit a medical certificate to back up this claim. Alice Guo is linked to two POGO hubs – the Zun Yuan Technology raided in Bamban, Tarlac last March, as well as its predecessor Hongsheng Gaming Technology.

In addition to contempt charges, the controversial mayor faces allegations of orchestrating an extensive network that facilitated illegal POGO operations, funneling large sums of unreported money and engaging in activities that compromised national security. These revelations have further intensified the scrutiny on her and her family’s involvement in the POGO scandal.

Sources:

Philstar / AGB