MANILA, PHILIPPINES — More than seven months after former Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo fled the country at the height of the Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO) controversy, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) remains unable to explain how she managed to escape despite being under an Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order.

Guo, also known as alleged Chinese national Guo Hua Ping, is at the center of the POGO scandal that shook the nation in 2024, exposing an extensive criminal network involving human trafficking, illegal gambling, and suspected government corruption. Investigations uncovered alarming irregularities, including fraudulent birth certificates issued to foreign nationals and concerns over the security of the country’s borders.

Despite heightened scrutiny, Guo and her family reportedly managed to slip out of the Philippines in July 2024, raising even more questions about corruption within the government. The Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality concluded its hearings on the POGO issue in November 2024, while legal proceedings against Guo and her associates remain ongoing.

Now, more than three months since the last hearing, the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights is reviewing the progress of government agencies in handling the case. However, the panel has confirmed one unsettling fact: the BI still has no answers.

During a hearing on Tuesday, March 4, BI Intelligence Division Chief Fortunato Manahan admitted that the agency had reached out to counterparts across Asia but had yet to receive any response. This drew sharp criticism from Senator Risa Hontiveros, who first exposed Guo’s escape.

“Kung titigil lang tayo sa ganitong status, we’re inutil as a country. Apat na buwan na po and we still don’t know how fugitives got past our borders undetected,” Hontiveros said.

(If we stop with this status, we’re useless as a country. It has been four months, and we still don’t know how fugitives got past our borders undetected.)

When asked if the BI could officially confirm that they still had no information on Guo’s escape, Manahan responded, “yes.”

The Bureau remains uncertain about which exit point Guo may have used. “We will submit a compliance report to your Office, but I’m sorry, as of this time, we don’t have any information as to which port or subports the Guo siblings escaped,” Manahan said.

Guo’s disappearance and subsequent movements across Southeast Asia prompted President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to demand accountability, leading to the dismissal of former BI chief Norman Tansingco.

Hontiveros also pressed Manahan on whether the BI had conducted any internal probe into lapses that may have enabled Guo’s escape, or if any officials had faced administrative charges or suspensions. Manahan admitted that, to his knowledge, no such investigation had taken place.

Guo, along with her siblings Wesley and Shiela Guo, fled in July 2024. While Shiela previously claimed they escaped by boat, her statements in Senate hearings have been inconsistent. What remains certain is that Alice and her siblings traveled to Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and back to Indonesia.

Shiela Guo and alleged POGO incorporator Cassandra Ong were apprehended by Indonesian authorities in August 2024, while Alice Guo was later arrested in September 2024.