NBI Director Jaime Santiago has apologized for photos of NBI operatives taking selfies with dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo after her arrest in Jakarta, Indonesia, last Thursday. Santiago explained that the agents were overjoyed after searching for Guo for over two weeks, leading to the celebratory photos.
He also clarified that Guo was not handcuffed immediately after her arrest and emphasized that she did not receive special treatment.
In a separate incident, Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos Jr. defended a controversial photo of himself with Guo after she was handed over to Philippine authorities. Abalos said Guo had just mentioned receiving death threats when the photo was taken.
“We were looking at the camera, but we didn’t know she was posing like that,” Abalos said in a TeleRadyo interview.
Abalos, along with PNP Chief Rommel Marbil, rushed to Jakarta to secure Guo’s custody before a 1 a.m. deadline set by Indonesian authorities. “If we didn’t make it, she could have been released,” Abalos said, explaining that he borrowed a private plane to expedite the process.
Guo, facing charges of money laundering and human trafficking, was arrested by Indonesian police in Tangerang City as part of heightened security measures ahead of Pope Francis’ visit to Jakarta. She is now detained at the PNP custodial facility in Camp Crame.