MANILA – Dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo left the Philippines allegedly due to death threats.
Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos said iIn a press conference on early Friday morning that Guo relayed to him during their meeting in Indonesia on Thursday that she feared for her life.
“Sabi ni Alice natatakot sya sa buhay niya kaya siya umalis,” Abalos said. “Sabi natin sabihin mo lahat at poproteksyunan ka ng police, important malaman natin ang totoo.”
Guo, in the same press conference, confirmed the she is seeking for protection from the government as some individuals want her dead.
“Kino-confirm ko po ang lahat ng sinabi ni Secretary Abalos at humingi ako ng tulong sa kanila. Masaya ako na nakita ko sila and I feel safe po,” said Guo.
Abalos, who claimed that he borrowed a private plane from a friend to fetch Guo, said the basis of former Bamban mayor’s arrest in Indonesia was the arrest order from the Senate.
Guo was brought to Capaz, Tarlac on Friday morning after a local court issued an arrest warrant against her for violation of the Anti-Graft and Corruption Practices Act on Thursday.
The Office of the Ombudsman recently dismissed the controversial mayor from service for grave misconduct with forfeiture of all her retirement benefits as well as perpetual disqualification from public office.
According to the Ombudsman, Guo “remained to be the real, true, and actual President of Baofu” and stood to benefit from the continued operations of the raided POGO hub in her locality.
The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) also filed a tax evasion complaint against Guo as she failed to pay P500,000 in taxes for her alleged sale of her shares in the Baofu Corporation.
Guo is also facing a human trafficking complaint in relation to the raided POGO hub before the Department of Justice, while a petition seeking to remove Guo from office was also filed before a Manila court.
News of Guo’s arrest came less than two weeks after Indonesian authorities arrested her alleged companion Cassandra Li Ong and sister Shiela in Batam, Indonesia. The two have been brought back to the Philippines where they are now detained.
Guo allegedly left the Philippines on July 18, according to Sen. Risa Hontiveros, with Bureau of Immigration officials confirming that the former mayor evaded border controls to avoid detection./PN
