Alice Guo to be in bulletproof vest, handcuffs in next Senate hearing
Dismissed Bamban mayor Alice Guo is set to attend the Senate hearing on Sept. 9 wearing a bulletproof vest and handcuffs, Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said.
Guo, who is currently in police custody, will be transported from the PNP facility to the Senate for the Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality hearing.
"Lalagyan siya ng [bulletproof] vest, isasakay siya sa sasakyan with security package. Ang nasa paligid naman niya ay mga babaeng pulis natin. Meron din tayong mga SWAT na magbabantay po at kasama po 'yan sa convoy at dadalhin siya immediately doon sa Senate para umattend sa hearing," Fajardo told Super Radyo dzBB in an interview.
“Naka-posas po ‘yan papunta ng Senado at pagdating po doon then we will take our cue from the Senate kung ipapatanggal po nila ‘yan. Normally naman po, kapag ang isang indibidwal lalo na’t under detention, ay inaalisan naman ng posas habang ongoing ‘yung Senate although meron tayo security sa likod,” Fajardo said.
While she was in Indonesia, the dismissed mayor asked Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos Jr. for help as she was getting "death threats."
Social media users noted how Guo was smiling with government officials and notably not in handcuffs when authorities came to Jakarta to bring her back to the Philippines.
Upon her arrival, she was also served an arrest warrant from Capas, Tarlac Regional Trail Court Branch 109 over two counts of graft. Sen. Risa Hontiveros then asked Judge Sara Vedaña-Delos Santos of the regional court to allow Guo to attend the Monday Senate hearing.
Fajardo further told dzBB that Guo's detention cell is the same one where former senator Leila de Lima was held in Camp Crame. She described the room as having no air conditioning unit, no TV, no cell phone, a single bed, a small round table, and chairs.
This came after Filipino users online lamented the "special treatment" Guo had received from officials as some were seen taking selfies with the dismissed mayor as they escorted her.
Abalos, who was also pictured smiling with Guo, maintained that there was no special treatment toward her.
The Senate first ordered Guo's arrest after she skipped hearings on the illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) in her bailiwick. However, the Tarlac regional court also issued an arrest warrant against the mayor.
Refusing to pay bail, Guo remains in police custody.
She also faces money laundering charges, a tax evasion case, and a human trafficking complaint, among others.
