Philippine President Marcos Jr. vows to punish anyone who helped fugitive ex-Mayor Alice Guo flee the country. Victoria Tulad has tonight's top story. Heads will roll. This was the commitment of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. after dismissed Mayor Alice Guo was confirmed to have left the country.
In a statement, the president said, Guo's departure has laid bare the corruption that undermines the justice system and erodes public trust. He said they will expose the culprits who aided in Goss'flight as a full-scale investigation is already underway to hold those responsible accountable. According to Marcos, there is no room in government for people who put personal interest above serving the country with honor, integrity, and justice. The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission admits the government was caught off guard. Obviously, somebody dropped the ball so we really need to conduct an investigation here.
Somewhere along the line... There are people who have been released here. So it may be a matter of someone helping or someone released.
PAOK is looking into three areas which GOC could have used to evade detection. One in the northernmost tip of Luzon, another in the westernmost tip of Luzon, and the last is in the Mindanao backdoor exit. In the next few days, we'd have to come up with a definite and a concrete answer as to how. she was able to get out of the country otherwise we would be the laughing stock of our asean neighbors malacanang has ordered the departments of foreign affairs and justice to cancel the passports of go her siblings wesley and sheila and wesley's girlfriend cassandra leong who is the authorized representative of lucky south 99 the illegal pogo in porac pampanga It will trigger the so-called blue notice and the red notice of Interpol.
And that would allow the law enforcement agencies of that place to arrest them and transfer them to the Philippines. So we're going through that procedure as of now. Both the DFA and National Bureau of Investigation are coordinating with the International Criminal Police Organization or Interpol on Goss'whereabouts. It is a big... or a significant step, because the DFA knows that the whole problem of Pogo and all the crime connected here is not just a national problem, it is really regional.
Even we could say a global problem. The movement of Nina Guhuaping and her family is really beginning to grow. Ontiveras's office is still verifying the current location of Go and her family and how they were able to escape. This will also be the focus of the hearing by the Senate's Subcommittee on Justice on August 27. Among those who will be invited are GOS Council, Stephen David, who continues to insist that his client is still in the Philippines, and the Bureau of Immigration, which is supposed to be guarding entry and exit points in the country. Instead, he should have stopped his departure.
Why is there no official record of his departure? Good thing Malaysia has a record that he arrived there. Meanwhile, Senate President Francis Escudero doubts that the cases against Goh will prosper given her absence. The case is pending until it appears in court and is arraigned. So anytime it returns to the Philippines, there will be an additional warrant of arrest that can be issued against it.
But if it is not found, what will happen is that the case will be archived first and when it is shown again, we will issue what we call an alias warrant of arrest. Senator Sherwin Gatchalian thinks differently and believes Go's departure is only a temporary setback since cases against her should continue. Escudero however notes they will pursue Gatchalian's proposal to sue Go of perjury and disobedience to summons.
Paok is also preparing additional cases against the former mayor. Victoria Tulad. ABS-CBN News.