Philippine NBI chief Jaime Santiago said five of Guo’s cohorts turned themselves in before the agency’s office in Central Luzon, while the two others surrendered to the task force on the former mayor’s case. - Photo: Philippines Daily Inquirer/ANN
MANILA (Philippines Daily Inquirer/ANN): Seven alleged cohorts of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo, alias Guo Hua Ping, surrendered to authorities, the Philippines National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said on Monday.
NBI chief Jaime Santiago said five of Guo’s cohorts turned themselves in before the agency’s office in Central Luzon, while the two others surrendered to the task force on the former mayor’s case.
"Five surrendered to the regional director of NBI in Central Luzon and two surrendered yesterday to the task force.)
"Most of the suspects at large are Chinese, but we are still looking for them," Santiago disclosed in a press conference.
In a report, the NBI identified the five as Rachelle Joan Malonzo Carreon, Jamielyn Santos Cruz, Rita Sapnu Uyturralde, Rowena Gonzales Evangelista, and Thelma Barrogo Requiro, as well as the two others as Roderick Paul Bernardo Puajante and Juan Miguel Alpas.
The seven are currently under police custody pursuant to five arrest warrants issued against them for human trafficking charges.
On the other hand, Guo is currently detained in the Pasig City jail after over two weeks at the Philippine National Police Custodial Facility.
Apart from qualified human trafficking complaint against the former mayor, another warrant of arrest was also issued by the Tarlac Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 109 against her for reportedly violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act last September 5.
The former mayor left the country on July 18 despite the arrest order issued by the Senate over her alleged ties to illegal Philippine offshore gaming operations.
Guo was arrested in Jakarta by Indonesian authorities on September 4. She was deported back to the Philippines on September 6.
Meanwhile, media reports stated that a Philippine senator leading an investigation into the former mayor's alleged links to Chinese criminal syndicates said on Friday she would not rule out her possible involvement in espionage.
Guo, who ran for mayor of Bamban as a Filipino but is also known as Chinese national Guo Hua Ping, is facing criminal charges that include graft, stemming from accusations she abused her power to allow offshore gambling to flourish in her town.
"I'm not yet prepared to conclude that she is not involved, or that the people associated with her are not involved in espionage," Senator Risa Hontiveros told foreign correspondents. A senate committee headed by Hontiveros launched an investigation into Guo in May after a casino raid in Bamban in the province of Tarlac uncovered what law enforcers described as scams run from a facility on land that she partly owned.
In earlier hearings, Hontiveros had asked Guo if she was an "asset" for China. Guo, who maintains she is a natural-born Philippine citizen, has denied she is a spy, as well as other accusations against her, calling them malicious.
Her case has gripped the Philippines at a time of growing suspicion about China's activities following an escalation of disputes in the South China Sea where the two nations have overlapping claims.
China's embassy in Manila and Guo's lawyer did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the remarks by Hontiveros.
