There will be no prisoner swap between Indonesia and the Philippines following the arrest of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said on Friday.
President Marcos made the remark during a media interview in Rizal when asked if there was a demand from the Indonesian government for a prisoner exchange.
“Well, wala naman nag-swap. Walang swap,” President Marcos stressed, saying there was no such demand in the first place.
“Because lumabas sa isang article sa Indonesia na dapat mag-swap. Pero hindi official ‘yun,” he said.
It was reported that Guo’s deportation involved a request from Jakarta to exchange her for Australian drug suspect Gregor Johan Haas, who was apprehended on May 15 in Bogo, Cebu, following Interpol’s Red Notice.
The President also explained to reporters the complexities of Guo’s transfer from Indonesia to the Philippines, noting that the process was not simple.
According to the President, his trips abroad and the connections he built with other foreign leaders, including former Indonesian leader Joko Widodo, played a significant role.
“Hindi naging simple ang pag pauwi ni Alice Guo dito sa Pilipinas. It wasn’t simple at all. We were negotiating very intricate, very sensitive, and very delicate details for the last…what, maybe 48 hours. Kinakausap natin mga kaibigan natin sa Indonesia,” President Marcos said.
“Mabuti na lang marami tayong naging kaibigan na dahil sa pagpunta-punta ko pagka … pagpunta ko sa mga iba’t ibang bansa, Indonesia being one of them at maging malapit kami ni President Jokowi. Naging bahagi ‘yun kaya’t kahit na hindi ganon kasimple ang pag-transfer,” he added.
The President announced the arrest of Guo on Wednesday in Tangerang City, Jakarta, Indonesia.
She was brought to the Philippines early Friday aboard a private plane at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay City.
Guo is involved in a number of illegal activities related to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) operations in Bamban.
Guo and her siblings were reported to have left the country in July despite a standing Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order (ILBO) issued against them.
Guo’s sister, Sheila, and Lucky South 99 incorporator, Cassandra Li Ong, were apprehended by Indonesian immigration officials at a shopping mall in Riau, Indonesia, on August 20. PND
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