Kimberly Capuyan

Alice Guo has allegedly “escaped” the Philippine jurisdiction without immigration traces through a small white boat, according to a confession by her sister, Sheila Guo, during a Senate hearing, August 27.


During the Senate’s subcommittee on justice and human rights hearing, Shiela revealed how they managed to leave the country despite an outstanding arrest warrant and lookout bulletin.

The hearing was presided over by Sen. Risa Hontiveros to discuss the cancellation of the dismissed Bamban mayor’s Philippine passport and her “illegal” exit from the country.

“We rode a boat in the sea,” Shiela said in Filipino.

“I don’t know the place,” she added.

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) earlier said that the Guos left the country without passing through proper immigration channels after checking the manifests of commercial and private planes, ships, and boats.

“Chineck natin for the whole month of July, iniisa-isa natin. Hindi pa tayo tapos, manual po ‘yan nationwide. Wala po tayong nakita doon na pangalan na Alice Guo. In the same manner po, sa ating system, wala tayong nakita na dumaan si Alice Guo,” BI deputy spokesperson Melvin Mabulac said in the Kapihan with Department of Justice.

Shiela revealed that they were taken by a van at their residence, which Alice previously confessed was a farm in Tarlac.

“We just came from home, and somebody with a vehicle fetched us,” Shiela said. 

Shiela added that the van took them and traveled for five hours, arriving at a port around midnight.

When asked by Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada, who was also present during the hearing, how many were in the van, Shiela confessed that she was with her siblings, Alice and Wesley.

Hontiveros then raised suspicions that the three were taken by the van in Pangasinan, but Shiela denied this.

“No, it’s not Pangasinan because I know Pangasinan. It was farther than Manila, but I don’t know the place,” Shiela said.
While she did not clarify the exact date when they left the country, Hontiveros previously revealed that Alice escaped the Philippines on July 18.

On the same date, Hontiveros noted during the hearing a flight of Alice and her cohorts from Denpasar in Bali, Indonesia to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia via Batik Air 177.

Shiela, meanwhile, claimed that they transferred to a “fishing ship” and then to a small “blue or green” boat en route to Malaysia.

She added that they boarded a plane to Singapore from Malaysia, for which Hontiveros cited news reports the flight happened on July 21.

Wesley also boarded a ferry from Singapore to Batam, Indonesia on a different date, August 16.

Sheila claimed that she and Alice, with the latter’s business associate Cassandra Ong, later traveled via ferry to Indonesia, following Wesley, on August 18. 

Hontiveros claimed that Ong may have been waiting for them in Singapore as she had been there since June 11, when she flew from Manila to Singapore via Singapore Airlines flight SQ917.

Shiela and Ong were arrested by authorities at a mall in Indonesia last August 21 and were sent back to the Philippines on August 22.

Alice and Wesley were not with them at the time of apprehension.

Sheila said that while they were together in Malaysia, they separated in Indonesia either on August 19 or August 20.

“Sabi lang niya sa akin hiwalay na muna, ate. Tapos tanong ko siya saan siya punta? Sabi niya sa akin ‘wag ko daw alamin,” Shiela said when pressed on the whereabouts of her sister.

Shiela added that she and Wesley were even planning to return to Singapore from Indonesia before going to Hong Kong.

Currently, Shiela and Ong are detained in the Senate and House of Representatives, respectively, as the two chambers hold separate probes on Philippine Overseas Gaming Operators (POGOs).

Authorities in Indonesia and the Philippines are still tracking down Alice and her brother after they parted ways.

BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco revealed during the hearing that Alice is still in Indonesia, according to the latest information from Indonesian Immigration.

“Based on the latest report given to me last night, Alice Guo is in Jakarta,” Tansingco said.

Tansingco, meanwhile, stated that Wesley left Indonesia on August 20 via ferry and boarded a plane to Hong Kong, but is yet to receive a confirmation from Hong Kong Immigration.

When asked if the immigration agency could provide a timeline for Guo’s arrest, Tansingco explained that he could not provide one because Indonesian Immigration is leading the operation.

Alice is facing an arrest order for contempt for refusing to attend the June 26 and July 10 hearings of the Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality for her alleged links to unlicensed POGOs.