By Jeanne Michael Penaranda

MANILA — Former Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo has been arrested in Indonesia more than a month after her alleged escape from the Philippines where she is facing multiple complaints.

Guo was flown back to the Philippines on a private plane after she was handed over by Indonesian authorities in Jakarta to Philippine immigration and police authorities.

Guo was temporarily detained at the PNP Detention Facility inside Camp Crame, the PNP headquarters, pending further disposition.

A team composed of Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Benhur Abalos Jr., Philippine National Police chief Gen. Rommel Marbil and Indonesian Police attache and the PNP Director for Intelligence and other DILG staff fetched Guo in Indonesia following her arrest by Indonesian Police and Indonesian Immigration.

Elements of the National Bureau of Investigation and Bureau of Immigration also flew to Jakarta to facilitate the turnover and extradition of the dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor.

The private aircraft carrying the dismissed mayor landed at the Royal Star Aviation Hangar at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Pasay City at 1:30 a.m. on Friday, September 6.

Abalos said they “raced against time” to ensure Guo’s return to the Philippines.

“Bandang tanghali, nakatanggap ako ng tawag na binibigyan tayo ng hanggang 1 a.m. ng Indonesia authorities kung hindi ito aalis pa Pilipinas, baka pakawalan nila si Alice Guo. Agad tayong naghanap ng eroplano, kung hindi hindi tayo aabot sa flight, may kaibigan ako na nagpahiram ng eroplano kasi hahabulin natin ung ala una. (Around Wednesday noon, I received a call that we are given until 1 a.m. by Indonesian authorities, that if Guo does not leave for the Philippines, they might release her. We immediately looked for a plane because we will not be able to make it. I have a friend who lent an airplane because we have to beat the 1 a.m. deadline),” Abalos said.

Abalos and Marbil arrived in Indonesia early Thursday to meet with Indonesian authorities regarding Guo’s turnover.

The DILG chief credited Guo’s arrest to the strong cooperation between the PNP and the Indonesian National Police.

He also thanked Indonesian authorities for their cooperation.

The DILG chief said Guo is facing death threats.

“Nag request si Alice na kausapin kaming dalawa. Sinabi niya na meron siyang death threats. Inassure ko siya, kami ni chief (PNP), na huwag niyang alalahanin ‘yung death threats. Sabihin niya lahat nang totoo. Lahat, huwag siyang matakot, maski sino pang malalaking tao ito at siya ay babantayan ng kapulisyahan (Alice requested to talk to us. She said she has death threats. We assured her, together with the chief PNP, she should not worry about death threats. Just tell the truth, everything. She should not be afraid, whoever these ‘big’ people are. The police will keep her safe),” he added.

Guo confirmed Abalos’ remarks. She was also asked to remove her face mask but she refused.

“Humingi po ako ng tulong sa kanila at masaya po ako na matutulungan nila ako (I asked for their help and I am happy that they will be able to help me). I feel safe,” Guo added.

The PNP took custody of the dismissed mayor after the Capas, Tarlac Regional Trial Court Branch 109 ordered her arrest for violation of Sections 3(E) and 3(H) of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, filed by the DILG.

The court set the bail for each violation at P90,000.

At 3:06 a.m. Guo arrived at the PNP Custodial Center where she underwent medical examination and booking procedures.

Medical assessment by PNP doctors showed that the former mayor’s blood pressure and oxygen level yielded normal results.

PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo, meanwhile, assured that there would be no special treatment for her.

 The arrest of Alice Guo leaves his brother Wesley as the only fugitive being hunted by authorities following the arrest last week of his girlfriend Katherine Ong and Sheila Guo, alleged sister of the former mayor. Alice, Sheila, Wesley and Katherine fled together from the Philippines where they are facing various charges in connection with the operation of big illegal gaming operations in Bamban and in Porac, Pampanga.

NBI Director Jaime Santiago said Guo was arrested in Tangerang City in the province of Banten. 

“According to Senior Superintendent Audie Latuheru of the Indonesian Police, Ms. Guo was apprehended at 11:58 PM on September 3, 2024,” a Department of Justice official stated.

Meawhile, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. warned that those responsible for the escape of the Guos and Ong will be fired and charged.

Earlier, Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla assailed Bureau of Immigration elements who may have helped the four flee the country.

The DOJ said Guo was in the custody of the Indonesian Police at Jatanras Mabes Polri.

President  Marcos Jr.  said those who helped the dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor and her group escape the country would surely face charges.

Marcos guaranteed that those who would be implicated in assisting Guo would surely “pay the price.”

“All of those who are implicated in assisting Alice Guo to leave the Philippines illegally as a fugitive from justice will certainly pay the price,” Marcos said.

“Ang tanong niyo, sino sisibakin? Hindi lang namin sila sisibakin, kakasuhan pa namin sila dahil ang kanilang ginawa ay labag sa batas at against all of the interests of the Philippine judicial system,” he added.

Justice Secretary  Remulla also lauded news of the arrest.

“The arrest of Alice Guo is a testament to the tireless efforts of our law enforcement agencies and the strength of international cooperation in bringing fugitives to justice. We will ensure that all legal processes are followed to hold her accountable for any crimes committed,” he said in a statement.

News of Guo’s arrest came less than two weeks after Indonesian authorities arrested her alleged companion Cassandra Li Ong and sister Shiela in Batam, Indonesia. The 2 have been brought back to the Philippines where they are now detained and are testifying before Congress in connection with their POGO operations, money laundering and kidnapping of people, sex slavery, among others..

The Guos and Ong allegedly left the Philippines on July 18, possibly via backdoor with assistance from some authorities.

Guo’s alleged sister, Shiela, earlier told a Senate panel she and siblings Alice and Wesley traveled by van from their Bamban, Tarlac farm to an unidentified port last July.

They then traveled by boat before being transferred to a larger vessel that brought them to Malaysia, where they stayed for several days, before boarding a plane to Singapore.

The Guo siblings then met with Ong — representative of the shuttered Lucky South 99 gambling hub — before their travel to Batam, where they split up and before Shiela and Cassandra were arrested.

Another reliable source from the Bureau of Immigration said ex-Mayor Guo transferred from one hotel to another to avoid the authorities.

 The quad committee of the House of Representatives will invite dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo as a resource person in its ongoing probe into the unlawful activities linked to Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs).

During its fourth hearing on Wednesday, Surigao del Norte  Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, chairperson of the quad committee and dangerous drugs panel, said they would coordinate with the Senate to arrange for Guo to participate in the investigation.

House Committee on Public Order and Safety chairperson Dan Fernandez noted that Guo had already been invited to the previous hearings conducted by his committee and this had been elevated to the quad committee.

“If that is the case, then the invitation made in the previous committees prior to the creation of quad comm still stands. She has an invitation on this committee and we will coordinate with the Senate as to her availability in order to be able to attend our committee hearings on the issue of illegal POGOs,” Barbers said.

Guo was able to leave the country on July 18, despite being the subject of an immigration lookout bulletin due to the ongoing investigations.

She reportedly headed to Malaysia, arrived in Singapore on July 21, and traveled to Indonesia on Aug. 18.

House quad panel co-chair Dan Fernandez believed that “powerful people” are behind the interconnected operations of POGOs, illegal drugs, extra-judicial killings, and other related crimes.

“By now, there can be no doubt in anyone’s mind that powerful people are behind this large-scale, multi-billion-peso criminal enterprise involving drug trafficking, POGOS, and extra-judicial killings,” the congressman of Sta. Rosa, Laguna said in his opening statement.

Fernandez, chair of the House Committee on Public Safety, said the fact that several key personalities of POGO corporations have managed to evade the law “speaks volumes of the power they wield and the resources at their disposal.”

He said the quad committee would not stop to find the powerful people despite the accusations that the House hearing was politically motivated.

Fernandez said in the next quad panel hearings, he would move to invite powerful personalities, including Hongjiang Yang, brother of Micheal Yang who served as presidential economic adviser under former President Rodrigo Duterte.

Barbers, for his part, said he wants to unravel the web of extrajudicial killings, the collusion between a well-organized syndicate and government officials in the drug trade, and the criminal activities linked to POGOs.

“In our previous hearings, serious allegations came to light. Witnesses claimed that former President Rodrigo Duterte was directly involved in the execution of Chinese drug personalities while they were detained in Davao,” Barbers said in his opening remarks.

“Such accusations, if proven true, reveal a systematic abuse of power and a deliberate elimination of individuals for financial gain, all under the pretext of maintaining public order,” he added.