Outrage in Philippines over officials’ photos with fugitive ex-mayor Alice Guo

Critics said it made a mockery of the Filipinos and was a cause for embarrassment, when Guo had evaded Philippine law enforcement agencies by fleeing to Malaysia, Singapore, and then Indonesia in mid-July despite ongoing investigations into her alleged crime links.

One of the officials involved, Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos Jr, later said he had asked for the picture to be taken as proof they had apprehended Guo and did not realise she was posing for the camera.

The Indonesian authorities apprehended Guo, who is accused of having links to Chinese criminal syndicates, on Sept 3.

She arrived in the Philippines past 1am on Sept 6, escorted by Mr Abalos and Police General Rommel Marbil, chief of the Philippine National Police, who took a chartered flight to Jakarta.

But Philippine social media feeds exploded hours before their arrival in the capital Manila, as the two high-ranking officials were pictured with Guo, who was all smiles as she gave a double “peace” sign while inside the Indonesian police’s headquarters.

She was not handcuffed despite facing two arrest warrants – one from the Philippine Senate issued in July for snubbing its investigation into her alleged criminal ties, and another from a local court for graft charges, issued after Guo’s arrest on Sept 5.

“Never mind that Alice Guo escaping overseas is symbolic of their own failure,” wrote historian Kristoffer Pasion as he shared the controversial picture on X. “What a mockery of the Filipino people.”

Agents of the Philippines’ National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) who were tasked to escort Guo were also seen taking selfies with her in a Facebook Live video posted on Mr Abalos’ official Facebook account.

Filipino users on X were angered in particular by a group photo taken by an NBI agent while seated inside the car taking Guo to the Jakarta airport on Sept 5.

In the picture, shared with reporters by the NBI itself, Guo was again smiling as she sat between two female agents in the back of the car. She had her hand on the shoulder of one of the female officers.

Social media users expressed disgust, with some saying that it looked like the NBI agents were going on a fun road trip with Guo.

X user @kelanocyte juxtaposed this picture with one taken in Oct 2020 of Filipina activist Reina Mae Nasino with the police swarming her as she visited the grave of her baby, who died while she was in detention.

“(The) Philippine justice system is a circus,” said the X user.

At a press conference at the airport in Manila when they arrived, Mr Abalos said Guo had requested to see him and Police General Marbil to raise concerns over alleged death threats against her.

“I told her not to worry about these death threats. What’s important now is that she tells the truth. She should not be afraid,” said Mr Abalos. He said he asked a staff member to take a group photo.

Guo, who was standing behind Mr Abalos, briefly told reporters that she was smiling in Jakarta because she “felt safe” around the Philippine officials. She was handcuffed by the time she emerged from the plane, where her mugshots were taken.

Meanwhile, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr shrugged off the controversial photos, saying taking selfies is part of modern Philippine culture.

“We call the Philippines the selfie capital of the world, right? So they took their selfies. You can’t stop people from smiling. I don’t think there’s much more to it than that,” Mr Marcos told reporters on Sept 6.

NBI director Jaime Santiago later apologised for his agents’ behaviour.

He said the NBI agents just could not contain their happiness after finding out that Guo had been successfully found and detained in Indonesia.

“This was vindication for them; they were so happy. Even I was overjoyed because Alice is with us now,” Mr Santiago told reporters on Sept 6.

Guo has grabbed headlines since May after a Senate committee linked her to alleged criminal activities involving Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos), the now-banned online casino industry.

Guo has ties to the Pogo company Lucky South 99, which operated in Porac town in Pampanga province, 108km north of Manila and near the sleepy town of Bamban, where she was elected mayor in 2022.

The Philippine authorities say these online casinos have lured foreign workers, including Chinese nationals, with promises of legal jobs in the country, only to trick them into working for scam hubs.

Guo and her alleged co-conspirators are accused of human trafficking, tax fraud and laundering criminal proceeds totalling 100 million pesos (S$2.3 million). 

She is also alleged to be a Chinese national named Guo Hua Ping and suspected of being a Chinese “asset”. Guo, however, maintains that she is a natural-born Philippine citizen and has denied all allegations against her.

The former mayor will be facing the charges now that she is back in the Philippines. She will also be compelled to face the ongoing Senate investigation against her next week.

Mara Cepeda

The Straits Times

Asia News Network