“Chinese POGO boss” helped Alice Guo escape PH – Senator Estrada

Senate President Pro Tempore Sen. Jinggoy Estrada revealed that the individual who helped dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo escape the Philippines is a Chinese national who is a “holder of five passports.” Estrada identified the individual as possessing passports from Saint Kitts and Nevis, China, Cyprus, Dominica, and Cambodia.

Alice, along with her brother Wesley and purported sister Shiela, managed to flee the Philippines in mid-July. Indonesian authorities apprehended Shiela and the Guos’ business partner, Cassandra Ong, on August 22, while Alice Guo was captured on September 4.

The ongoing investigation into Alice Guo’s escape has taken a new turn with these revelations. Estrada’s statements indicate that the escape was facilitated by a significant figure in the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGO) sector.

“Tinanong ko ‘who facilitated your escape?’ Ayaw niya sabihin for security reasons, pinilit ko, pinilit namin [na] isulat sa papel. Ang sagot niya sana huwag banggitin,” Estrada was quoted by ABS-CBN as saying in the September 9, 2024 episode of TeleRadyo Serbisyo’s Johnson Ikwento Mo. (I asked her ‘who facilitated your escape?’ She didn’t want to say for security reasons. We insisted and had her write it down. Her response was to avoid mentioning the name.)

Estrada added: “Yung pangalan na dineclare niya sa papel ay boss ng mga POGO… Chinese national.”

When asked if the said Chinese national would be subpoenaed on the next Senate hearing, the senator said he thinks he has already left the Philippines and is now in Taiwan.

The dismissed mayor of Bamban, Tarlac said she couldn’t reveal the person’s identity in public due to pending legal complaints against her and other safety concerns. Guo will remain in the custody of the Philippine National Police until the legal issues surrounding the graft case filed against her before a Tarlac Regional Trial Court is resolved.

Speculation has intensified over the identity of this person. Guo, whose real Chinese name was established to be Guo Hua Ping, disclosed that an “Asian woman” helped her, but she firmly stated that no Filipino citizen or government official was involved in her departure. She also denied bribing anyone. “I invoke my right against self-incrimination,” Guo repeatedly stated during the Senate hearing.

Hints from the Senate probe suggest the escape was orchestrated by someone with substantial resources. Reports indicate that the mastermind had access to yachts and financed the escape route, which allegedly included stops in Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia.

Senator Risa Hontiveros revealed that the name Guo wrote down and shown only to senators had been mentioned in previous hearings. Estrada also suggested that the key figure might be in Taiwan, with the possession of multiple passports being a significant clue.

“The person has not just one or two, but five passports,” Estrada noted. This aligns with recent findings involving Huang Zhiyang, Guo’s business partner.

Huang Zhiyang, a fugitive facing money laundering charges in Singapore, has become a central figure in the investigation. During a June 27 raid, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) seized five passports from Huang at villas in Fontana, Clark. These included passports from Saint Kitts and Nevis, China, Cyprus, Dominica, and Cambodia. Huang, who co-founded Baofu Land Development with Guo, is linked to several alleged criminal activities.

The PAOCC also discovered two Taiwan passports among the seized documents, which are being verified with the Taiwan embassy. In a previous interview, Hontiveros said about Guo’s co-incorporator: “Huang remains a wanted fugitive in China. The Chinese embassy in Manila has shown interest in bringing him to face charges there.”

Read related article: Alice Guo May Become State Witness If She Names POGO Mastermind -DOJ