Alice Guo says she's a 'victim,' vows to identify 'most guilty' in illegal POGOs
Dismissed Bamban mayor Alice Guo stressed she's "not the mastermind but a victim" as she promised to divulge who's the "most guilty" in the illegal operations of POGO hubs in the country.
During the Senate hearing on the alleged crimes surrounding POGOs on Tuesday, Sept. 24, Sen. JV Ejercito asked Guo if she's the mastermind behind such operations, and if she could name people involved.
“Hindi po ako mastermind," she said. "Ang masasabi ko po, isa po akong victim."
Ejercito asked if Guo is a "pawn" of a criminal syndicate, to which she responded, "Hindi naman po sa ginamit. If ever po, kung mayroon man akong naitulong, ano po ako, helpful akong tao. Kung mayroon man po, 'yun lang po."
"Sa mga activities po na ginawa or sa mga allegations po, wala akong kinalaman (doon)," she added.
Ejercito asked if Guo is the "most guilty" behind the POGO issues, or if there are others who are "more guilty."
"Hindi po ako guilty po," she said. "I think sa tagal po ng investigation, alam na rin po ng committee chaired by our madam chairman (Sen. Risa Hontiveros) po who's really at the back of everything."
Executive session
Ejercito expressed hope that Guo can give them more information in an executive session. "Kung ikaw ay naging biktima, maawa rin tayo sa mga naging biktima ng POGO," he added.
Guo expressed willingness to divulge who's the "most guilty" regarding the POGO issue in a closed-door session with senators.
“Willing ka bang sabihin ‘yung most guilty na sinasabi mo?” Ejercito asked, and Guo said yes.
Hontiveros, meanwhile, welcomed Guo's response.
“It’s the first time na narinig ko na sinabi ni Guo Hua Ping na mayroon tayong natutumbok dito sa ilegal na operasyon ng POGO sa Pilipinas,” she said, referring to Guo's alleged real identity.
The hearing was promptly suspended, and the senators and Guo's camp discussed whether to start the executive session already or next week.
Guo requested to delay the executive session, saying his main lawyer Stephen David was absent. David would return to Manila from Cebu on Sept. 26, Thursday.
But senators said David may join the executive session via Zoom.
"I really advise you to take advantage of this moment," Hontiveros told Guo.
An executive session is held “when the security of the State, or the public interest so requires, and the President so states in writing.”
Discussions there are strictly confidential, and can only be revealed if at least two-thirds of senators (16 out of 24) vote to do so.
Alleged link to POGOs
The dismissed mayor is in the middle of a months-long Senate investigation into illegal POGO hubs in the Philippines.
She's allegedly linked to two POGOs in Bamban: Hongsheng Gaming Technology Incorporated, which was raided in February 2023, and Zun Yuan Technology Incorporated, which was raided in March this year. These were accused of trafficking and scams.
She's been questioned as to why she was supposedly unaware of such alleged illegal activities in her bailiwick. In past Senate hearings, she was also asked about her background to confirm her nationality, which she has since maintained that she's Filipino and has denied having ties to POGOs in Bamban and being a Chinese spy.
But as weeks passed, authorities discovered discrepancies in several documents involving Guo, as well as holes in her stories. These include documents alleging she's a Chinese national whose real name is Guo Hua Ping. The NBI also found that there's a third "Alice Guo" who applied for an NBI Clearance.
Amid the Senate investigation, Guo, her siblings Shiela and Wesley, and Cassandra Ong, her alleged cohort who has alleged ties to POGO hubs in Porac, Pampanga, left the Philippines last July.
Shiela and Ong were apprehended in Batam City in Indonesia on Aug. 20 and brought back to the Philippines on Aug. 22, while Guo was apprehended in Tangerang City on Sept. 4 and turned over to Philippine officials within 24 hours. Guo was brought back to the Philippines early Sept. 6.
Guo claimed that she escaped amid death threats she was receiving.
Guo is also facing human trafficking, money laundering, and tax evasion cases.