Ex-PNP chief accused of accepting bribe to help Alice Guo, siblings flee PH

By: Dianne Sampang - @inquirerdotnet September 17,2024 - 09:23 PM

SILENT TREATMENT: Former Bamban Mayor Alice Leal Guo, otherwise known as Guo Hua Ping, invokes her right to remain silent during a public hearing conducted by the Committee of Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality on the alleged illegal activities of of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) hubs in Pampanga and Tarlac Tuesday, September 17, 2024. (Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau)

MANILA, Philippines — A former chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) is accused of accepting a bribe to assist dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo and her siblings in fleeing the country, despite being on an immigration lookout bulletin.

This information was revealed during the Senate panel on women’s ongoing investigation into illegal Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos) on Tuesday, when Senator Risa Hontiveros asked law enforcement officials if intelligence reports indicated that a high-ranking official received a P200 million bribe to facilitate the escape.

Hontiveros previously revealed that Guo and her siblings gave the money to exit the country without being detected by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) and other law enforcement agencies. Shiela Guo, who was earlier identified as Alice’s sister, said that she was unaware of the money supposedly used to evade arrest.

When the senator asked if there are other personalities involved in the alleged bribery from the information gathered by the intelligence community, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) Senior Vice President of Security and Monitoring Cluster Retired General Raul Villanueva said that they gathered information that a former PNP chief allegedly received bribery.

“Di ko lang alam ‘yong sa exact amount including PNP officials (I don’t know the exact amount). I cannot confirm because I’m outside of the loop, lately. And we’re busy right now helping the law enforcement agencies running after the illegal Pogos in the countryside or in the provinces,” Villanueva answered.

“Hindi PNP unit (Not PNP unit) but personalities…I think it was mentioned that [it was] a former chief of PNP,” Villanueva added.

Hontiveros asked Villanueva what kind of assistance the PNP personnel provided to Guo. The Pagcor official said that he could not confirm the information.

“I don’t know kung anong exact aid ang sinupport but hindi pa naconfirm ‘yan kung nagbigay, nabigyan o tinanggap or may witnesses. ‘Yon lang po ang naririnig namin sa intelligence community. I’m out of the loop lately, di ko rin maconfirm,” Villanueva noted.

(I don’t know the exact aid supported, but it is still not yet confirmed if [the PNP official] gave, was given, or received, or if there were witnesses. That’s what we only heard in the intelligence community. I’m out of the loop lately, I can’t confirm.)

Villanueva also said that he does not know the name “except there were some rumors in the intelligence community that [it was] a former chief of PNP.”

Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada proceeded to ask if it was just gossip to which Villanueva said that the “intelligence community is still verifying.”

Former senator Panfilo Lacson previously revealed that his Filipino-Chinese friend was allegedly offered P1 billion by the ex-mayor to help her with her legal concerns with the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission before she fled the country in July.

The ex-mayor divulged that one of the vessels they used to escape the country was a yacht, in contrast to what Shiela earlier said that they rode three boats — a small boat, a “fishing ship”, and a small “blue or green” boat direct to Malaysia.