Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla confirmed that Sheila Guo and Cassandra Li Ong, companions of Alice Guo, are currently in the custody of Indonesian authorities. This development sheds further light on the connection between recent operations in Bamban, Tarlac, and Porac, Pampanga, which have been under scrutiny for their alleged links to Chinese criminal syndicates.
“Yes, that is true. It proves the connection between Bamban and Porac operations,” Remulla stated, emphasizing the significance of this arrest in the ongoing investigation.
Remulla also noted that both Sheila Guo and Ong would be deported back to the Philippines due to suspicions that their passports were fraudulently obtained. However, he clarified that passports cannot be “summarily cancelled,” responding to Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin’s request to cancel the passports of Alice Guo and her companions.
The controversy surrounding Alice Guo, the dismissed mayor of Bamban, Tarlac, has intensified after her departure from the Philippines on July 18, 2024. Despite being under investigation for her alleged ties to criminal syndicates, Guo managed to leave the country, traveling first to Malaysia and then to Singapore using her Philippine passport. This has sparked significant concerns, particularly from Senator Risa Hontiveros, who questioned the apparent lack of intervention by government officials during Guo’s departure.
The Philippine government, led by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., is now probing the circumstances that allowed Guo to evade authorities and flee the country. While efforts are underway to cancel her passport, which would limit her international travel, Guo’s lawyer insists that she remains in the Philippines, a claim met with skepticism as evidence points to her recent overseas travel.