DOJ wants Guo’s spy links claims probed

Dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo —House of Representatives

MANILA, Philippines — The revelation of a “discarded Chinese spy” imprisoned in Thailand linking dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo to Chinese espionage operations in the Philippines is a “lead” that security agents need to investigate, a Department of Justice (DOJ) official said on Sunday.

“It is… a serious indication that the security apparatus of our government should take a serious look at it,” Justice Undersecretary Raul Vasquez said in an interview with dzBB.

The disclosure emerged during Friday’s inquiry by the House of Representatives quad committee, which scrutinized Guo after an Al Jazeera documentary was shown about She Zhijiang, a jailed Chinese tycoon.

READ: Agitated? Alice Guo loses cool after House shows docu on Chinese spy

He claimed to have a dossier confirming the presence of Chinese spies, which included Guo’s Chinese name, “Guo Hua Ping.”

While the DOJ has not yet received formal information regarding She’s allegations, Vasquez said that the agency believed issues surrounding Guo raise national security concerns that warrant investigation.“We cannot dismiss the possibility of that due to the mysterious questions and issues surrounding the character of former Mayor Alice Guo,” Vasquez said.

Diplomatic channels

For now, he said that the DOJ would refer the probe to the National Bureau of Investigation and coordinate with national security agencies to gather additional information.

When asked how She’s testimony would be obtained, Vasquez noted that the Philippines’ membership in the International Criminal Police Organization could be used.

“Another way would be through diplomatic channels to send that person to our embassy for questioning or to send an investigator for such matters,” he said.

At the very least, Vasquez said, national security agents should contact their foreign counterparts to collect more information.

Allegations

“This is not a trivial matter, especially given the national security threat. Here comes a person claiming that Alice Guo is involved,” the DOJ official noted.

“Whether or not that’s true remains to be seen, which is why this gives us a reason to thoroughly investigate, as we need to uncover the whole truth and nothing but the truth,” he added.

Wanted in China and sanctioned by the United Kingdom, She is also connected to scam sites involved in human trafficking and forced labor.

He is currently incarcerated in a Thai jail as Beijing seeks his extradition, claiming that his knowledge of state secrets has made him a target.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, She stated that he possesses a dossier confirming the presence of Chinese spies, including Guo.

The same documentary revealed that his dossier listed Guo’s address in Fujian province, which turned out to be the local office of the Chinese Communist Party.

She further alleged that Guo requested money from him to help fund her 2022 campaign for the Bamban mayorship, but he said, “[I] really didn’t want to offend the government of the Philippines, so I didn’t give her any money.”

Guo responded with unusual anger to these allegations, repeatedly telling lawmakers: “I love the Philippines. I am not a spy. It’s unfair for him to say that I am one.”

Agitated, the dismissed mayor immediately said that she “wanted to get all the details because I also want to file a case” against She and Al Jazeera.

“I’ll find a way, I don’t know how, but I’ll talk to my lawyer to give me guidance on what law can be used,” she said.

Citizenship issue

Questions were first raised about Guo’s citizenship during a Senate inquiry in May after Sen. Risa Hontiveros noted that her birth was registered late. Philippine Statistics Authority records showed that Guo’s late birth registration was filed only in 2005, or 19 years after she was supposedly born in 1986.

Her baffling responses to senators’ questions during the investigation of crimes involving Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos) prompted speculation that she was a “Chinese asset” sent to infiltrate the government.

Guo has been at the center of controversy over her alleged links to illegal Pogos after authorities raided Zun Yuan Technology in her jurisdiction in Tarlac province on March 13.

After evading Senate inquiries on the issue, she fled the country sometime in July and was arrested in Indonesia on Sept. 4.

She is currently facing several cases in court, including graft, a nonbailable qualified human trafficking charge, a quo warranto case, and a petition to cancel her birth certificate.