Alice Guo’s escape: BI, CAAP must be held accountable, says Gatchalian

Sen. Win Gatchalian (L) and Bamban Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo. | PHOTOS: Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau and INQUIRER.net

MANILA,  Philippines —  The search is on—not only for  dismissed Bamban Mayor  Alice Guo but also for those who helped her escape.

For Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, the Bureau of  Immigration (BI) and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP)  should be held accountable for Guo’s escape.

“Nakakahiya nga itong nangyari sa atin dahil hindi lang Pilipinas ang pinapanood itong nangyari, itong issue sa Pogo  (Philippine offshore gaming operator) at  tungkol kay Guo Hua Ping.  Buong mundo pinapanood ito…”  Gatchalian said over Radyo 630 on Tuesday.

(It’s quite embarrassing what’s happening to us because it’s not just the Philippines that is watching this issue with the Pogo and Guo Hua Ping. The whole world is watching.)

READ: Alice Guo has left the Philippines – Hontiveros

“Itong nalusutan tayo ni Guo Hua Ping, nakakahiya talaga ito at dapat may managot dito  na government agencies, lalong lalo na ang  Bureau of Immigration at ang CAAP. Ang CAAP  kasi ito  yung nagre-regulate ng mga airport e,” he added.

(It’s really embarrassing that Guo Hua Ping managed to slip through us, and there should be accountability from the government agencies, especially the Bureau of Immigration and the CAAP. The CAAP is responsible for regulating the airports, after all.”

Guo, who is also believed to be Chinese national Guo Hua Ping, is the subject of  the Senate committee on women’s investigation after her name was linked  to illegal Pogos in her town. The chamber later ordered her arrest after her repeated failure to attend the Senate probe.

READ: Arrest Alice Guo, others – Senate

But on Monday, Sen. Risa Hontiveros disclosed that Guo fled the country on July  18 for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and then to Singapore where she met her parents Lin Wen Yi and Guo Jian Zhing.

BI, meanwhile, said Guo “illegally” left for Malaysia then to Singapore in July based on the intelligence information they got from their counterparts abroad.

Various reports also indicated that Guo either flew out of the country or escaped through the backdoor, according to Gatchalian.

READ: BI: Alice Guo flew out of PH illegally based on intel

“Pero based sa information, lumipad sya, gumamit sya ng eroplano para makaalis at vine-verify  pa whether it’s a private plane or commercial airport,”  the senator said.

(But based on the information, she flew out using an airplane to leave, and it is still being verified whether it was a private plane or a commercial flight.)

“E  kung commercial yan, di lalong lalo dadaan yan sa ating international airports at hindi makakaalis yan kung walang  Bureau of Immigration dahil commercial,” he added.

(If it was a commercial flight, then it would definitely pass through our international airports and she wouldn’t have been able to leave without going through the Bureau of Immigration, since it’s a commercial flight.)

Despite this, Gatchalian considered Guo’s escape  a “temporary setback,” saying that the complaints against her will proceed or even speed up if she is not physically  present.

And once the case against her progresses,  the dismissed mayor could be extradited to the  Philippines to face the allegations and possible punishments, the senator said.

“In the meantime  na tumatakbo yung kaso, itong BI at CAAP  dapat managot,” Gatchalian said.

(In the meantime, while the case is ongoing, the BI and the CAAP should be held accountable.)

Although the women panel has  not scheduled yet its next hearing, Gatchalian is certain the officials of the two agencies  would be called to  answer for Guo’s  escape.

“Wala pang sked  kino-collate pa namin ang information pero siguradong ipapatawag  itong mga ahensyang ito para panagutin. At hindi   lang yung  mga tao sa baba, yung mga nag assist, importante din yung liderato  ay managot  dito dahil sila ang may jurisdiction sa kanilang mga ahensya,” Gatchalian said.

(We don’t have a schedule yet; we are still collating the information. But these agencies will definitely be called in to answer for this. It’s not just the lower-level staff and those who assisted; the leadership must also be held accountable because they have jurisdiction over their respective agencies.)