Gov’t fact-checking Shiela Guo’s claims

By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos, Philippine News Agency

FILE: INCONSISTENCIES. Shiela Leal Guo, sister of former Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo, recounts to senators how she and her siblings fled the country, during an inquiry at the Senate on Aug. 27, 2024. (PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan)

MANILA – The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Saturday said it is fact-checking the testimonies of Shiela Guo, the alleged sister of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo, given the supposed loopholes in her narratives.

During the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City, DOJ Undersecretary Raul Vasquez said the government is seriously investigating the escape of the former mayor and her cohorts.

“Tuloy pa ho. Hintayin niyo yung susunod na kabanata sa bagay na iyan ([The investigation) continues. Wait for the next chapter of this issue). Ongoing,” Vasquez said.

“So, this is not at all a closed case. We have to verify whether or not they are telling the truth. And in the first place, they haven’t spilt much. Wala pa (There’s nothing yet).”

Vasquez said the government wants to determine whether the Guo siblings and Cassandra Li Ong, alleged incorporator of Pampanga-based Lucky South 99, left the country through an airport, seaport, or private port.

He said the government is verifying Shiela’s claim that they shelled out PHP200 million in bribes to exit the Philippines without getting detected by the Bureau of Immigration and other law enforcement agencies.

In his opinion, Vasquez said Shiela and Ong could not be state witnesses since their testimonies are “unbelievable.

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“Kaya kung tutuusin mo, kailangan namin law enforcement agency na i-verify kung tama ba o hindi ‘yung sinasabi ni Shiela na paraan kung paano sila umalis (So, if you think about it, we need a law enforcement agency to verify if Shiela’s statement about their departure is true or not), that’s for one,” he said.

Vasquez said there are certain individuals who would face administrative or criminal cases in connection with the Guos’ escape.

“May mga taong manangot talaga dyan kasi lalo na tinitignan kung ano talaga ba ang nangyari, ano ba talaga ang paraan na ginawa nila (There are people who are really responsible for that, especially since we are looking at what really happened and how they did it),” he said.

“Hindi namin tinutukoy ang Bureau of Immigration. Basta kung sino man na law enforcement na nagkaroon ng pagkakamali, or worse, nakipagsabwatan o anuman, hindi nila ginampanan ang kanilang trabaho, ay mananagot sila after the investigation (We are not referring to the Bureau of Immigration. All law enforcement agencies who made a mistake, or worse, conspired or whatever, they did not perform their job, they will be held accountable after the investigation),” Vasquez added.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Tuesday vowed there will be “no sacred cows” in the investigation into the Guos’ escape, hinting that he now knows the people who helped the former mayor leave the country.