President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. expects dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo to reveal critical information about the illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) activities in her jurisdiction, her path to election, and how she acquired her substantial wealth.
“What I want to hear from her is for her to lay out exactly how these POGOs became so such a large…basically, a criminal enterprise. And as mayor, for her to say she did not know this was going on is very difficult to believe,” Marcos told reporters on Friday.
“Because as a former local government executive, it seems impossible that an operation that is what… a few hundred meters away from my own office na hindi ko alam ‘yung nangyayari doon, illegal na ganitong kalaki na operation. Sana maipaliwanag niya (Guo) kung bakit hindi niya alam,” he added.
Marcos mentioned that Guo must address questions regarding her accumulation of wealth and her election to office despite her unclear background, noting that lawmakers have already posed these questions to her.
Additionally, the President hopes that Guo will provide clearer answers than her cohorts, citing Cassandra Ong and Shiela Guo as having been evasive.
“Sana naman mabuti-buti ang sagot ni Alice Guo, as compared doon sa mga kasamahan niya because it will not help her at all to be evasive. Mas bibigat ang magiging problema niya kung hindi siya magsabi nang totoo,” said Marcos.
President Marcos dismissed accusations of impropriety and claims of special treatment, arguing that taking selfies and posting them on social media is simply part of modern culture and doesn’t imply anything more significant.
“Ang tawag natin sa Pilipinas, we are the selfie capital of the world ‘di ba? O, ‘di nag-selfie. Hindi mo na mapigilan ang tao na ngumiti. So, they just had a selfie. I don’t think there’s much more to it than that. Nagpa-selfie sila,” Marcos said.
This statement addresses several viral photos showing government officials taking selfies with Guo shortly after her apprehension in Indonesia.
Alice Guo was arrested on Wednesday in Tangerang City, Jakarta, Indonesia. She was then brought back to the Philippines early Friday.
The dismissed mayor is being connected to the POGO operations in Bamban, Tarlac and is currently facing multiple charges, including trafficking and money laundering.
