Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin has ordered the cancellation of the Philippine passport of dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo. The directive was issued on Tuesday and also applies to Guo’s relatives—Wesley Guo, Sheila Leal Guo, and Cassandra Li Ong—who are associated with the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) that was recently raided in Porac, Pampanga.
Bersamin’s memorandum was sent to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of Justice (DOJ), urging them to take “appropriate action” in response to this order. The decision comes after it was revealed that Alice Guo, who also goes by the name Guo Hua Ping and is identified as a Chinese citizen, left the Philippines on July 18 for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Immigration officials confirmed that she is now in Indonesia.
Guo has been the subject of a Senate arrest order due to her repeated failure to attend hearings related to illegal POGO activities. Bersamin referenced the New Philippine Passport Act, noting that the DFA Secretary has the authority to cancel a passport in the interest of national security, particularly when the holder is a fugitive from justice.
Despite these developments, Guo’s legal counsel, Atty. Stephen David, has maintained that Guo assured him she is still in the country, though he admitted he cannot confirm her exact whereabouts.