“I received a report last night galing kay [Philippine National Police chief Police General Rommel Marbil] na dalawa sa kasama niya ay naka-detain na sa Indonesia,” Abalos said in an ambush interview.
(I received a report last night from Chief PNP that two of her companions have been detained in Indonesia.)
A report by GMA Integrated News' John Consulta on Balitanghali identified the two arrested as Cassandra Li Ong and Guo's sister Sheila Guo.
A source told GMA Integrated News that the two were about to leave Indonesia when they were intercepted by local authorities there. The two are expected to be brought back to the Philippines.
According to the source, local authorities continue to conduct manhunt operations to capture Alice Guo, who is believed to be in Batam, Indonesia.
PNP spokesperson Police Colonel Jean Fajardo said the two companions of Guo were detained around 6:45 a.m. on Wednesday.
Fajardo said authorities have yet to discuss if the police will escort the two from the airport when they arrive in the Philippines. She said the two may be turned over to the Senate as the arrest warrants issued by the chamber against Guo and others are still “in force and in effect.”
“As to the other personalities including si Alice Guo po, ay ongoing pa rin po yung ating coordination sa ating foreign counterparts,” Fajardo said.
(As for the other personalities including Alice Guo, our coordination with our foreign counterparts is still ongoing.)
Ong was the authorized representative of the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) that was raided in Porac, Pampanga for alleged illegal activities. Alice Guo is facing charges in connection with a raided POGO hub in Bamban.
Meanwhile, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said the arrest of the two proves the connection between the raided POGO hubs in Bamban, Tarlac and in Porac, Pampanga.
“Tthe connection is there. It proves the connection between Bamban and Porac,” Remulla said in a separate interview.
When asked about the cancellation of the passport of Guo and others, Remulla said authorities cannot “summarily cancel” a passport. He said the cancellation of the group's passport will also lead to difficulty in making them travel back to the Philippines
“It was not found advisable also to treat it summarily because if the passports are cancelled immediately, then how can you make them travel back to the country. You will have to issue a travel document which should be an admission that they are Filipino citizens,” he said.
“So it's something that is a little tricky,” he added.
Remulla said authorities also suspect that passports of Ong and Sheila Guo were fraudulently obtained.
Meanwhile, asked on what grounds the two were detained, Abalos said he will check on the matter but authorities are now coordinating with the police attaché in Indonesia.
“Pinapa-check ko pa ito but what is important even sa ibang bansa through our police attaché ay kino-coordinate. It only shows talagang seryoso dito ang kapulisyahan,” he said.
(I am still having it checked but what is important even in another country we are coordinating with our police attaché. It only shows that the police are really serious.)
Alice Guo's name was listed on the immigration lookout bulletin following the investigation into her true identity and her link to illegal POGO activities in Bamban.
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Tuesday confirmed that Alice Guo, whose real name is Guo Hua Ping according to authorities, is in Indonesia amid the complaints filed against her, including for alleged human trafficking.
Government agencies discovered that Guo already left the Philippines for Malaysia as early as July 18.
The PNP earlier said it has to work through diplomatic channels to bring Alice Guo back to the country.
The government is also set to file more cases against Guo in the next few weeks, according to the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) on Wednesday.
Alice Guo has denied the allegations against her. Her lawyer, Atty Stephen David, earlier said as far as he knows, the dismissed mayor is still in the Philippines. —with Joahna Lei Casilao/KBK, GMA Integrated News
MANILA, Philippines — Katherine Cassandra Ong, the representative of the Porac, Pampanga-based Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO), is now in the custody of Indonesian immigration authorities, several government officials confirmed on Thursday.
This development comes days after the government asked for the cancellation of the passports of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo, her sibling and Ong after they escaped the country despite having an Immigration Lookout Bulletin issued against them.
Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos first hinted at the information in an ambush interview with reporters on Thursday morning, saying that two of the companions of the dismissed Bamban Mayor are in the hands of the Indonesian immigration.
Rep. Dan Fernandez (Sta. Rosa, Laguna) then revealed in the House quad-committee investigation into the extra-judicial killings that Ong is one of the individuals apprehended by Indonesian authorities.
In an ambush interview with reporters, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla also confirmed Ong’s arrest in Indonesia along with Guo’s sister, Shiela Leal Guo.
Remulla said that the arrest proves the “connection” between the raided POGO hubs in Bamban and Porac.
“We found a connection between Alice Guo and Cassandra Lee Ong…which means Bamban and Porac are closely related,” Remulla said.
As their passports were allegedly obtained through fraudulent means, Shiela and Ong will be sent back to the Philippines, according to Remulla.
However, he said that the government cannot “summarily cancel” a passport despite having a request from the Executive Secretary.
The Justice chief said that it is not “advisable” to “treat it summarily” as it will be a tricky process for their return.
“If the passports are canceled immediately, then how can you make them travel back to the country? You’ll have to issue a travel document which should be an admission that they’re Filipino citizens,” Remulla said.
On Monday, Sen. Risa Hontiveros, who first revealed that Guo escaped the country, said that the dismissed mayor used a Philippine passport in her escape.
Hontiveros also revealed that the Department of Foreign Affairs notified the Interpol about Guo who was reported to be in Indonesia.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has also ordered an investigation into Guo’s departure, stating that the government would expose those who aided her escape.
“Heads will roll...There is no room in this government for anyone who places personal interest above serving the Filipino people with honor, integrity, and justice,” Marcos said in a statement on Wednesday morning.
The Senate will also dedicate three panels to investigate Guo's escape.
Senate President Francis Escudero said that the upper chamber considers filing perjury and disobedience charges against Guo as she left the country despite having a Senate arrest warrant.
Marcos warned that “heads will roll” a day after he ordered Guo’s Philippine passport canceled following her escape, which was confirmed based on foreign immigration records.
“We will expose the culprits who have betrayed the people’s trust and aided in her flight,” Marcos said in a statement. “Those responsible will be suspended and will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
Guo, wanted by the Senate for refusing to attend hearings on her alleged criminal ties, denies the accusations, insisting she is a natural-born Philippine citizen facing “malicious accusations.”
The Senate investigation began in May after authorities raided a casino in Guo’s sleepy farming town of Bamban in March, uncovering what authorities said were scams perpetrated from a facility built on land partially owned by the former mayor.
Guo was recently removed from office by the Ombudsman for grave misconduct.
A spokesperson for the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission said Guo traveled to Malaysia and Singapore last month and in Indonesia this month using her Philippine passport.
Guo’s lawyer Stephen David said she was still in the Philippines, without providing further details.
The case comes at a time of growing Philippine suspicion about China’s activities following an increasingly tense dispute over reefs and shoals in the busy waterway of the South China Sea, where both nations have overlapping claims.
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 22 — A former Philippine mayor, currently under investigation for connections to Chinese crime syndicates and linked to two foreigners convicted in Singapore for money laundering, may have been in the Republic for approximately a month.
According to The Straits Times, reports suggest she arrived on July 21 after fleeing the Philippines amid a Senate inquiry.
Philippine Senator Risa Hontiveros revealed on August 19 that Alice Guo, the former mayor of Bamban in Tarlac, reportedly travelled to Singapore to visit her parents.
Hontiveros was the first to disclose the mayor’s escape. She cited sources, indicating that Guo’s parents arrived in Singapore from China on July 28.
PAOCC spokesman Winston Casio said on August 19 that Guo, a Chinese national, also known as Guo Hua Ping, arrived in Singapore from Kuala Lumpur on Jetstar Asia.
Flightradar24 showed Jetstar Asia flight 3K686 departed Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 3.58pm on July 21 and landed at Changi Airport at 4.47pm the same day.
Casio added that Guo was reported to have left via ferry on August 18 for Batam, Indonesia.
The Straits Times spoke to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) about Guo’s trip to Singapore but ICA had only said that she is not in the country.
Guo, who faces multiple criminal charges, is under a Senate arrest warrant in the Philippines for skipping hearings. She was dismissed from office in August for grave misconduct.
The investigation concerns her connections to a now-closed online casino, which is alleged to have been a front for fraudulent operations and other criminal activities.
The paper said Guo established Baofu Land Development, the company linked to the scam compound, in 2019 alongside two individuals convicted in Singapore’s S$3 billion (RM10.05 billion) money laundering case: Chinese nationals Zhang Ruijin and Lin Baoying.
Zhang, 45, and Lin, 44, each received a 15-month prison sentence in Singapore after pleading guilty to money laundering and forgery charges. Zhang was convicted in April, and Lin in May. The pair were deported to Cambodia on June 15 following the completion of their sentences.
In June, Philippine authorities filed a criminal complaint against Guo, Zhang, Lin, and 11 others for alleged human trafficking activities related to the online casino, also known as a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (Pogo).
Despite being registered and licensed by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp, some lawmakers argue that these licensed online gambling operators serve as fronts for scam hubs that exploit human trafficking victims.
According to The Straits Times, despite her connections to the couple, Guo is not a person of interest in the S$3 billion money laundering case. She does not have a formal arrest warrant from a Philippine court and is not listed on Interpol’s Red Notice. Philippine authorities have issued an immigration lookout bulletin order to monitor her movements closely, but it does not prevent her from leaving the country legally.
The Straits Times also noted that Philippine law enforcement agencies did not reach out to the Singapore Police Force for assistance regarding Guo.
The two arrived in the country on Thursday afternoon, August 22, after they were initially held by immigration authorities of Indonesia, as confirmed by Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla.
When asked earlier in the day if the ones held in Indonesia were Ong and Sheila, Remulla told reporters: “Yes, that’s true…. The connection is there. It proves the connection between Bamban and Porac operations.”
Sheila is covered by the Senate arrest order issued by the upper chamber against her and her siblings for snubbing the hearings on POGOs. As to Ong, the House shared to reporters on Thursday a copy of the arrest order against her, after she was cited in contempt for snubbing the House’s POGO hearings.
“Our immigration agents have already left and are on their way to Batam, Indonesia, to be able to bring back Cassy Li Ong and Sheila Guo to the Philippines. Hopefully by today or at the earliest tomorrow,” Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) spokesperson Winston Casio told reporters in a mix of Filipino and English on Thursday.
Senate President Chiz Escudero initially said Sheila will be arrested at the airport and then placed under Senate custody. The Senate is also in coordination with the House Sergeant-At-Arms as Ong will be held under House custody once police arrest her in the airport.
On Thursday afternoon, however, Escudero clarified that Ong and Guo will first be put under the National Bureau of Investigation’s (NBI) custody.
“We were informed that per guidance from the DOJ [Department of Justice], the NBI shall take custody of both Sheila and Cassandra in order for NBI to file cases against Cassandra and for BI [Bureau of Immigration] to conduct inquest proceedings against Shiela on immigration charges. Thereafter, the NBI will debrief them. Only thereafter shall they coordinate with the Senate and the House regarding the warrants issued by both Houses against them,” the Senate president said.
Remulla told reporters that the two will be brought to the NBI for questioning, and then later for debriefing.
“I’m asking the immigration people to prepare the cases that ought to be filed against them,” the DOJ chief said.
Santa Rosa, Laguna Representative Dan Fernandez, House committee on public order and safety chairperson, revealed the arrest of Ong in Indonesia during the House mega-panel hearing earlier on Thursday, August 22.
“Considering the communication that was sent to us as well that Cassandra Li Ong was already in the custody of the Bureau of Immigration of Indonesia. And as a matter of fact, our police attaché and the PNP chief [are] in coordination with the Bureau of Immigration of Indonesia,” Fernandez said.
Fernandez, co-chairperson of the House “quad committee” probing illegal POGOs, extrajudicial killings, and Chinese syndicates, added that Philippine National Police chief Rommel Francisco Marbil and the country’s police attaché are already coordinating with Indonesian authorities to bring her to the Philippines.
Ong, known either as Cassy Ong or Cassy Li, has ties to the Lucky South 99 POGO in Porac, Pampanga. House lawmakers said former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque “effectively” lawyered for Whirlwind Corporation, the real estate firm that leased its land to Lucky South. Back in June, authorities said the Lucky South 99’s POGO hubs were hotbeds for various illicit activities, including human trafficking, forced labor, and various scam activities.
When Philippine authorities reported dismissed Alice Guo’s departure from the Philippines, opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros said that Guo met with her father Guo Jian Zhong, mother Lin Wen Yi, her brother Wesley Ong, and Ong in Singapore. Like Ong, Guo faces a string of allegations due to her alleged POGO ties.
The House mega-panel, also known as the “quad comm,” probes the links among illegal POGOs, Chinese syndicates, illegal drug trade, and extrajudicial killings in the country. Ong never appeared in the legislative hearings, so she was cited in contempt by the House last week.
Guo reportedly left the country in July and flew to Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, as confirmed by several agencies.
On Thursday, Casio said after they received the information about Ong and Sheila Guo’s detention in Indonesia, they also asked for information about the dismissed mayor and their brother, Wesley.
The PAOCC official said they were told that Wesley is no longer in Indonesia, but in another “undisclosed” country.
“Now for Alice Guo, she was not seen yesterday and earlier today in Batam, Indonesia. But there’s no information that she already left Indonesia, so we strongly believe that Guo Hua Ping is still in Indonesia,” Casio added.
Hontiveros said Ong was under close monitoring because she is essential in determining who should be implicated in relation to the Lucky South 99 POGO.
“What’s Ong’s ties with Alice Guo, Harry Roque, and others? Who let her and Alice Guo’s sister leave the country, and why is our immigration system full of loopholes? I believe all these questions will be answered in our next hearing,” Hontiveros said in Filipino. – With reports from Bonz Magsambol/Rappler.com
