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NewsTranscript
00:00More than three months have passed before Dismissed Mamban Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo met again with the Senate.
00:06Like before, Guo repeatedly avoided answering the questions of the Senators.
00:12First, we will listen to Senator Risa Ontiveros. Good morning Senator.
00:17Good morning to all of our listeners.
00:21You have a different mood. Yesterday, I saw your enthusiasm, not only you but also other Senators.
00:27My BP is going down now.
00:30You're more safe than usual.
00:32Oh my.
00:34But what happened?
00:36Well, before, I don't know Your Honor, but Guo Huaping repeatedly answered the questions.
00:43In this hearing, I always invoke my right against self-incrimination, the new tactic.
00:50Imagine, he can't admit that he is Guo Huaping,
00:54even though he can see the thumbprints of documents proving that he's a Chinese national.
01:03It's frustrating.
01:05That's why I was forced to cite him in contempt for his continuous lies to the committee.
01:12He will be chosen under the custody of the PNP and we will inform the court if he needs to face the Senate hearing again.
01:21The next hearing is scheduled for next week, September 17, Tuesday.
01:27We have many questions, like the real identity of Mayor Calugay, who is the mayor of Suwal, Pangasinan.
01:37We have received a lot of information about the role of the mayor of Pugo, Bamban, and the kidnapping of Alice Guo in the Philippines.
01:49We will verify these. Yes, Igan.
01:52In his response to the Senate yesterday, do you still hope that your questions will be answered by Tuesday?
02:00Well, we still hope, believe it or not Igan, because in our repeated questions,
02:09we have been forced to release some information. For example, their car was stolen from Manila outside the Philippines.
02:23We will also know the details, if it's true and who helped them if the car was really stolen, if it was used outside the Philippines.
02:34The name of a J.P. Samson, a co-incorporator of Alice Guo in the business of buy and sell luxury cars, has also been released.
02:44They have a bank account. This J.P. Samson has been mentioned twice by various resource persons.
02:54It's like J.P. Samson has something to do with it, as long as it's about money.
02:58That's why he will be called for the next hearing.
03:01Senator, earlier, Atty. Stephen David, Alice Guo's lawyer, said that your questions will affect the cases of his clients.
03:13Atty. should know that the Supreme Court ruling can invoke the right against self-incrimination.
03:23If literally, it can incriminate a person. Alice Guo has been citing this and that case against him, but he can't address every question.
03:37Where? In which particular case can that question affect him? For example, the question I asked yesterday is about his identity, right?
03:48It's just a matter of fact. It's not a criminal matter if you're this or that person.
03:55But if he admits it to the Senate, how can he defend himself in court if he has a question about his citizenship, Senator?
04:04The question of citizenship depends on whether it's regular or irregular. For example, his birth certificate.
04:12Unfortunately for them, the PSA said that it's irregular. The issuing authority for that document went to the Office of the Solicitor General
04:26and canceled the birth certificate because it's irregular.
04:30Okay. Yesterday, didn't the committee think that it's better to have an executive session and Alice Guo will have more say than all the Senators asking and not answering?
04:45Well actually, I have a fellow Senator who motioned that and supported it. However, there are those who objected.
04:54That's why I cannot give an answer yesterday in the hearing. As we witnessed, there are still details coming out in the next hearing.
05:05Even regarding our question, who are the people who helped Alice Guo in hiding and escaping.
05:14Even if he admitted his name in writing, the next question is, even if he didn't help her, he's the same person who arranged her wedding.
05:26He's also involved in her life. The story is confusing. But there are details that we can verify.
05:34Do you believe that there's no Filipino or government official who helped her?
05:38No. It's impossible for a single Filipino woman to help them. That's the only person who designed and made their escape.
05:50In fact, there was a painful moment yesterday in the hearing. There was an official who was asked by a fellow Senator if the news that he will be dismissed is true.
06:01He confirmed it and said that he only heard about it from the media.
06:06That's why in my closing remarks in the hearing, before he was dismissed, I asked if it's just the agency, the BI, and who else, particularly inside the bureau.
06:19That's why the internal investigations of all the agencies are ongoing and unfortunately, they are also being investigated.
06:28Senator Cassandra Leong in the House of Representatives also avoided answering.
06:34But there was a motion or a camera, their committee, the quad committee, that she will be placed in the Women's Correctional if she didn't answer.
06:44She was forced to give some information. Can Alice Guo's situation be the same?
06:51Well, our committee will look into it. As we said, the investigation is in aid of legislation.
06:59Yes. Our main task is to ferret out the truth about those POGOs, Alice Guo or Guo Huaping and her associates who are involved in POGOs and other crimes.
07:17Yes. Is the jurisdiction correct? The ombudsman Samuel Martirez himself said why Tarlac RTC and not the Sandigan Bayan that he said earlier.
07:29Well, I will write to the office of the ombudsman. We also communicated with the court.
07:36Because there's an interesting legal question raised. Until yesterday's hearing, I said that Guo Huaping will remain in the custody of the PNP.
07:50Until the ombudsman resolves that legal question, we will continue to ask the court and the PNP to bring her to the Senate.
08:03But until the legal question is resolved, of course, I'm hoping in favor of the Senate.
08:12Once Alice Guo is released, we will put her under our custody.
08:16Okay. One more thing about their story of how they got out. Sheila Guo is a cow and Alice Guo is a goat. They are not siblings.
08:27It's like the children's song, small circle, small circle, big circle. You don't know, small, medium, large.
08:36But at least, since Guo Huaping and Alice Guo were released yesterday, the goat came out. We will investigate that.
08:45And secondly, if they really escaped from the sea, we will ask the Coast Guard. If we see the evidence, because this is a 50-50 situation,
08:56that in fact, they escaped from the air, we will ask the Coast Guard.
09:03Thank you very much Sen. Risa Ondiveros. Be careful.
09:07Thank you very much. Be careful as well.
09:15Also abroad, follow us on GMA Pinoy TV and www.gmanews.tv.