Now that she has been brought back to the country, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said he expects dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo to explain the illicit Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) operations in her home turf, how she got elected, and how she accumulated a significant amount of money.
The President made the comment during a media interview in Rizal on Friday when asked about his expectations now that Guo is in the custody of Philippine authorities.
“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,” the President told reporters.
“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 said.
Guo has to answer questions about how she accumulated wealth and how she got elected despite her hazy background, the President said, noting these questions have been asked to Guo by lawmakers.
“I just hope she answers it better than her cohorts. Sina Cassandra (Li) Ong at saka sina Sheila [Guo], very evasive makasagot,” the President noted.
“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,” he said.
President Marcos also brushed off accusations of impropriety against government officials for having a photo with Guo and claims of alleged special treatment by the government.
Taking photographs and posting them on social media is part of the new culture, the President argued, adding it’s just a selfie and he doesn’t think there’s much more to it.
“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,” he said.
The President announced Guo’s arrest on Wednesday in Tangerang City, Jakarta, Indonesia.
Guo was brought to the Philippines early Friday aboard a private plane at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay City.
The dismissed Tarlac mayor is involved in several illegal activities related to POGO operations in Bamban. PND
Comentarios