Alice Guo enrages Philippine senators with evasive stance in hearing after arrest

Facing a hostile senate inquiry following her return to the Philippines, the former mayor accused of being a Chinese agent revealed little

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Dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo, a fugitive recently arrested in Indonesia, holds her glasses during a Senate hearing on Monday. Photo: Philippine Senate Social Media Unit via AP

Published: 7:58pm, 10 Sep 2024Updated: 8:01pm, 10 Sep 2024

Infamous former mayor Alice Guo, sitting before a senate inquiry a few days after being extradited back to the Philippines, faced exasperated and enraged lawmakers who held her in contempt for a second time after she repeatedly evaded their questions.

“You’re lying,” Senate president pro tempore Jinggoy Estrada shouted at Guo in the middle of the lengthy session on Monday, during which the former mayor of Bamban town in Tarlac province revealed little.

Guo was flown back to Manila on Friday after being arrested by Indonesian authorities based on a warrant issued by the Senate after she failed to appear at an inquiry into her alleged ties to a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (Pogo) linked to human trafficking and financial crimes.

Guo’s extradition to the Philippines marked the culmination of a months-long manhunt for the former mayor, who is believed to have fled the country in July.

On Monday, President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr fired immigration chief Norman Tansingco over Guo’s escape, press secretary Cesar Chavez confirmed, although no charges were filed against the bureau head.

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Philippine officials in hot water over selfies with fugitive mayor Alice Guo

Senate deputy minority floor leader Risa Hontiveros, who had been pursuing the investigation into Guo since March, told the former mayor during Monday’s hearing that she was being given another chance to reveal those involved in her alleged Pogo connections and her escape to Indonesia.