A photo of the information Sen. Risa Hontiveros received from the NBI which she posted on Facebook on August 19. | Sen. Risa Hontiveros/Facebook
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Senator Risa Hontiveros confirmed on Monday that dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo has left the Philippines in July.
Hontiveros posted on her Facebook page photos showing Guo’s flight information.
“Siya po ay pumasok ng 12:17:13 military time ng July 18, kaya ibig sabihin umalis siya ng Pilipinas ng gabi ng July 17,” Hontiveros said.
READ: Alice Guo ordered dismissed by Ombudsman over Pogo links
Guo reportedly travelled to Malaysia using her Philippine passport.
Hontiveros said she got her information from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
READ: Gatchalian: Alice Guo one of the masterminds of Bamban Pogos
“Who allowed this travesty to happen? Sino ang may kagagawan nito? Hindi makakaalis si Alice Guo kung walang tumulong sa kanya na mga opisyales ng pamahalaan. Para tayong ginigisa sa sarili nating mantika,” Hontiveros said.
Legislative hearings
During the Senate hearing on July 29, NBI Assistant Director Angelito Magno mentioned of the reported sightings of Guo in Bulacan.
READ: Senate: Arrest Alice Guo, others
However, these sightings were made before the Senate issued an arrest order against Guo on July 11, Magno said.
Sen. Hontiveros said that she was with the belief that legislative hearings were “policy-driven.” When President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered a ban on the operation of Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos), they decided to let law enforcers take the lead.
“Pero paano kung ang law enforcement mismo ang kelangan imbestigahan? What if they dropped the ball? Paano kung sila ang dapat managot? Nangako ang BI sa akin at sa Senate President Pro Tempore na hindi nila hahayaan si Guo Hua Ping na makaalis sa Pilipinas, eh yun pala ay wala na talaga siya. Kung hindi po natin ito gawan ng paraan, as an institution, as a country, parang nagpasampal tayo sa dayuhang ito na paulit ulit na sinasaula ang ating mga batas, patakaran at proseso,” Hontiveros added.
The Senate issued an arrest order against Guo and seven others after they skipped the July 10 hearing despite due notices from the committee on women probing into illegal Pogos.
Guo is under investigation for her alleged links to the raided Pogos in Bamban, Tarlac.
Questions about her citizenship were also raised during a Senate inquiry after Hontiveros pointed out that her birth was registered only in 2013, or 17 years after she was supposedly born in 1986. | with reports from Luisa Cabato, Inquirer.net