A former chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) may have been involved in the secretive escape of Alice Guo, a Chinese executive linked to illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), according to intelligence reports cited during a Senate hearing on Tuesday.
Senator Risa Hontiveros, during the inquiry into illegal POGOs, inquired about new information regarding Guo’s July escape. Raul Villanueva, head of the Security Monitoring Cluster at the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor), revealed the possibility of involvement by certain PNP “personalities,” including a former PNP chief.
“Hindi PNP unit but personalities. I think it was mentioned… a former Chief, PNP,” Villanueva stated, adding that the former official was allegedly on Guo’s monthly payroll. However, he clarified that the intelligence reports remain unverified.
The PNP’s representative, Police Brig. Gen. Raul Tacaca, said that the police intelligence community continues to coordinate with other agencies, stressing that formal complaints will be filed if evidence of bribery surfaces.
Guo, who admitted fleeing the country due to unnamed threats, was arrested in Indonesia last month.