MANILA – Alice Guo, the dismissed mayor of Bamban, is allegedly attempting to enter the “Golden Triangle” to evade capture, according to an official from the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC). This statement was made on Saturday, shortly after the arrest of several of Guo’s associates in Indonesia.
The “Golden Triangle” is a notorious area straddling Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos, known for being under the control of various criminal syndicates and triads.
“We are confident that she is trying to get into the Golden Triangle. The Guo family has business interests in Cambodia,” stated Winston Casio, PAOCC spokesperson.
“They are part of a big criminal organization, ‘yung Fujian Gang kung saan kabilang ang mga Guo ay kabahagi ng Golden Triangle triad,” Casio added.
Investigations revealed that Guo was last spotted in the Philippines on July 14 at a resort located at the country’s westernmost point. A local source reported that Guo was seen boarding a speedboat, as confirmed by Casio.
On July 17, she reportedly flew from Bali to Kuala Lumpur. After staying in Malaysia for four days, she traveled to Singapore, where she remained for approximately a month before moving to Batam, an industrial town in Indonesia.
Guo’s brother, Wesley, “attempted to leave Batam for Hong Kong,” but there has been no confirmation from Hong Kong authorities regarding his arrival, according to Casio.
As of now, Alice Guo is believed to still be in Batam.
“She (Alice Guo) will definitely not go to China. She is accused of a serious crime in relation to illegal gambling,” Casio noted, emphasizing China’s stringent policies against illegal gambling activities.
When asked about the potential for Philippine authorities to pursue Guo should she successfully enter the Golden Triangle, Casio replied, “It depends where in the Golden Triangle she would land… Those countries are very porous in terms of boundaries.”
He added, “We will answer the question when we get there, [but] we have to prevent that from happening.”
At present, Philippine authorities cannot arrest Guo due to the absence of a formal arrest warrant, as PAOCC officials clarified.
“We have no red notice because there is no warrant of arrest for her yet. The cases filed against Alice Guo are still pending in the Department of Justice,” Casio explained.
The PAOCC also advised against revoking Guo’s passport or Filipino citizenship, as this could potentially place her under the protection of the United Nations.
“The People’s Republic of China has a policy that once you cancel your passport and acquire a new nationality, it will be very hard for you to reacquire your Chinese nationality,” Casio explained.
“They would become stateless. I hate it if they would become refugees and they would fall under the UN refugees because they would take on another legal character and they will be protected under that new legal character,” he added.
Under the 1954 United Nations Convention on Statelessness, stateless individuals have “a right to identity, travel documents, and administrative assistance,” and may be eligible for protection and support from international refugee organizations.
“Kapag naging stateless po yan, ang laking problema natin yan. Let us be cautious in canceling their passport,” Casio warned.
He concluded, “We would want them to be incarcerated in the Philippines to answer all their crimes in the country. Panatiliin muna natin silang Pilipino dito at ikulong at saka natin i-cancel ang kanilang passport.”