Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/ MARIANNE BERMUDEZ)
MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. on Wednesday said the government will “expose” the culprits who allowed dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo to leave the country, and vowed that they will face the full brunt of the law.
Marcos pointed out that Guo’s departure “laid bare” the corruption in the country’s justice system which “erodes public trust.”
“Let me be clear: Heads will roll,” Marcos said in a statement released through his Facebook page.
“We will expose the culprits who have betrayed the people’s trust and aided in her flight. A full-scale investigation is already underway, and those responsible will be suspended and will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” he added.
Marcos stressed that there is no place for individuals who “place personal interest above serving the Filipino people with honor, integrity and justice” in the government.
When asked if Marcos has set a deadline for the investigation, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin told reporters through a Viber message that it would be completed “as soon as feasible.”
He, however, did not give a specific timeframe or date.
It was Senator Risa Hontiveros who first revealed that Guo had already left the Philippines in July. Hontiveros said Guo used her Philippine passport to exit the country.
The Bureau of Immigrations (BI), meanwhile, confirmed the information from their counterparts and bared that Guo “left the country illegally” without passing through the Philippine immigration authorities and “illegally traveled to Malaysia as early as July.”
As of Aug. 18, the BI said Guo was last tracked in Indonesia.
Despite this, Guo’s legal counsel continues to insist that she is still in the country, based on her assurances alone.