The news that former Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo managed to slip away from the Philippines, as claimed by Senator Risa Hontiveros, came as a disappointment but hardly as a surprise for many Filipinos, including law enforcement officers.
The Bureau of Immigration (BI), for one, expressed its suspicions that Guo managed to leave the country “illegally,” bypassing the required checks of Philippine immigration authorities.
In a statement, BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said that they have received information that Guo, whose real name is said to be Guo Huaping, illegally travelled to Malaysia as early as July.
“We received intelligence information from our counterparts abroad that Guo illegally left for Malaysia then flew to Singapore,” stated Tansingco, who had recently arrived from an ASEAN meeting of immigration heads in Vietnam.
The BI chief said Guo allegedly flew to Singapore with Shiela Leal Guo and Wesley Leal Guo on July 21.
Tansingco also clarified that while Guo’s name is listed in the Department of Justice-issued immigration lookout bulletin (ILBO), her supposed departure is not recorded in the BI’s system and centralized database.
The BI has presence at all regular international ports of entry and exit like international airports and seaports, whereas informal exit points are managed and monitored by other aviation or maritime agencies.
“So far we have not received any turnover or reports related to Guo from other agencies, including those manning our maritime borders,” he stated.
Tansingco shared that Katherine Cassandra Li Ong departed the Philippines as early as June 11, before the ILBO was issued against them on August 6.
Tansingco added that the intelligence information that Guo left for Malaysia and Singapore came from very reliable sources.
He added that yesterday, the group were monitored to have traveled to Indonesia.
He said that the cancellation of Guo’s Philippine travel documents could fast track her extradition to the Philippines.
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