Published by: Chloe Lavine P. Barcelona
Date Published: September 16, 2024
Time Published: 7:02 AM
The fallen 33-years-old Chinese-Filipino mayor of Bamban, Tarlac, known as Alice Guo once again the frequent headlines of conversation. She became a controversial politician entanglement in Philippines Offshore Gaming Operators or POGOs which resulted in many allegations such as money laundering, human trafficking, and other illegal actions.
With all the intriguing and suspenseful Alice Guo facing right now, she still has the urge to smile after having been caught. They say every smile has its secret. But what if the secrets are hiding something even more sinister?
Throughout someone’s timeline it is when a hidden dark secret develops. Through the construction of a chronological sequence, people can acquire a deeper insight into the background of the secret and how it has impacted them. In the case of Alice Guo, her actions create a conclusion for the Senator to assume that she is hiding something.
An arrest warrant for Alice Guo was issued by the Senate on Saturday, just four months after she gained national attention for her "failure to recall" details of her "farm upbringing" while being questioned by lawmakers. Her response of "hindi ko na po maaala, your honor" at the Senate became widely discussed and turned into a punchline everywhere [1].
The situation evolved from being a meme and punchline leading to the arrest of the mayor by the Senate. Below is a recap of the sequence of events and surprising turn of events concerning the mayor of Bamban in the past few months.
FEBRUARY 2023
February, typically a month where we celebrate the essence of love and some of our friends get the chance to show affection for their crush but on the other perspective, Alice Guo’s case started. The story started with a raid on an unauthorised POGOs hub in the quiet town of Bamban in Tarlac, Luzon. In particular, the raid took place at the Baofu compound, a large area where many workers were located, most of whom were discovered to be victims of illegal trafficking. Guo's identity didn't become known until a year later, during a subsequent raid at the same location [2].
MARCH 2024
While March, typically a month known for entrance of summer season, local police and authorities from the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) once again conducted a raid on the Baofu compound.The raid was prompted by a complaint from a Malaysian national received by PAOCC, alleging that he and numerous other individuals, including foreign nationals, were being unlawfully held [2].
Reports from news outlets in Metro Manila indicated that over 800 individuals were rescued from the property, which was apparently being utilised for various online scams. In the midst of its ongoing investigation into the POGOs industry, the Senate sought to uncover the connections between Guo and the Baofu complex a few weeks after the raid.
APRIL 2024
Whereas April, engaged with a long weekend for religious celebration and events in many places in the Philippines, Alice Guo is still facing legal procedure. Guo made a statement, refuting any role she had in the POGOs hub in Bamban. In the meantime, a task force was established by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to conduct a further investigation on the trouble mayor [2].
Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos Suggested that a preventive suspension be imposed on Guo while investigations continue.
MAY 2024
During the same month, Guo said she was homeschooled on a farm and was the offspring of her Filipino housemaid and Chinese father.
JUNE 2024
In the process of June, a month's celebration for father however the mayor's remarks were once again closely examined.
In June, Gatchalian disclosed that records indicated a person named Guo Hua Ping arrived in the Philippines in 2003, potentially being the actual identity of Alice Guo. Gatchalian also challenged Alice Guo's assertion that she is the illegitimate child of her father and his housekeeper, pointing out that Guo Hua Ping’s official mother listed on her residency visa is Lin Wen Yi.
The National Bureau of Investigation and Bureau of Immigration later verified that Alice Guo and Guo Hua Ping are identical, based on matching fingerprints [2].
JULY 2024
But in July, a month known for freedom, Guo took it seriously. She did not show up for Senate hearings twice, leading Hontiveros to charge her with contempt.
Prior to September, Guo was detained by Indonesian officials on September 3 at a hotel in Tangerang City, Jakarta, Indonesia. Two days later, Guo landed in the Philippines aboard a private flight with registration RP- C6188. Abalos and General Rommel Marbil were with her.
They arrived at 1:10 am on Friday at the Royal Star Aviation hangar, a private plane charter company, in Pasay City [2].
A whirlwind of events spanning through time, filled with controversial claims and dramatic senate hearings that captivate nearly everyone's interest. Until now, Alice Guo's allegations have not been resolved. She faces various charges from involvement of her administration in POGOs, money laundering, human trafficking, not attending senate hearings and later found out she fled different countries.
During course of May, a month for many holidays, Guo appeared before the Senate panel two months after the raid at Baofu compound in Bamban to address Sen. Risa Hontiveros' inquiries about alleged spying activities at the property.
Hontiveros raised doubts about Guo's identity, fearing she could be an undercover Chinese agent. The senator noted that Guo's birth in the Philippines was not documented in hospital records and her birth was officially registered in 2005 [2].
According to Guo’s team, she missed the hearing due to poor health.Guo’s legal team submitted a plea for certiorari to the Supreme Court aiming to prevent the Senate from calling her to appear in hearings. Hontiveros and Senate President Francis Escudero issued an arrest warrant for Guo on July 12 for missing the July 10 hearing. Alice Guo and Guo Hua Ping were both listed in the Immigration Lookout Bulletin. It was issued to verify if she had any outstanding arrest warrants in case she tried to leave the country. Nevertheless, it was discovered later that Guo, along with her sister Sheila and Cassandra Ong, escaped the country on July 18 [2].
AUGUST 2024
In August, the Commission on Elections summoned Guo for misrepresentation. Violation of Section 74 in connection with Section 262 of the Omnibus Election Code is prohibited. The Ombudsman's Office has directed Guo's termination due to her proven serious misconduct. On August 19, Hontiveros disclosed that Guo departed from the nation. The Philippine passport-carrying mayor landed in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on July 18. It is claimed that she escaped with Sheila Guo, Wesley Guo by taking several boats to Sabah [2].
The Bureau of Immigration suggested that she might have exited the Philippines unlawfully without undergoing the necessary immigration procedures. Nevertheless, Guo's team maintained that she was still within the territory and even had her counter-affidavit authenticated in person. The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) was informed about the passports of Guo, her siblings, and business associate Cassandra Ong.
On August 22, Abalos announced the arrest of Sheila and Ong in Batam, Indonesia, three days after Guo's departure was made public.
SEPTEMBER 2024Being one of the hot topics and most talked about in recent weeks, this issue simply tells us Filipinos that what lies beneath someone's identity becomes a sign that our nation lacks security. This lackness captive human rights and involvement of other social issues. It clearly shows that Alice may fail to recall her childhood but our nation’s system fails to protect rights that many Filipinos should have.
REFERENCE:
[1] GMA News Online. “TIMELINE: The Plots and Twists of the ‘Alice Guo’ Probe.” GMA News Online, September 6, 2024. https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/specialreports/913274/alice-guo-timeline/story/?amp.
[2] Merram. “TIMELINE: Where Did She ‘Guo’? Alice Guo’s Story and Escape.” Cebu Daily News, September 6, 2024. https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/593837/timeline-where-did-she-guo-alice-guos-story-and-escape/amp.
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