Documentation delays Guo's transfer to Pasig jail

INCOMPLETE documentary requirements, including medical assessment, have delayed the transfer of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo from the Philippine National Police (PNP) Custodial Center in Camp Crame to the Pasig City Jail Female Dormitory. Guo underwent booking procedure and medical examination in Camp Crame on Saturday after Pasig Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 167 Judge Annielyn Medes-Cabelis ordered her transfer to a Pasig jail on charges of qualified human trafficking, a non-bailable offense. However, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) said the PNP was not able to complete the procedure. BJMP spokesman Jayrex Joseph Bustinera said they were awaiting Guo's transfer. "The BJMP wants to ensure that other persons deprived of liberty will not catch any illness upon [Guo's] transfer. The documents must be complete, including her X-ray and [electrocardiogram]," he said, noting the dismissed mayor would be sharing the detention facility with 44 other inmates. Bustinera assured Guo would not receive special treatment. The three co-accused of Kingdom of Jesus Christ founder Apollo Quiboloy in a human trafficking case were also detained in the Pasig City Jail Female Dormitory. Arrest warrants were issued against Guo and 15 others for qualified human trafficking charges. "The law must take its course; it's time for Guo and co-accused to face the charges against them in court," Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said. The Pasig RTC set Guo's arraignment through videoconference on September 27 at 8:30 a.m. Guo's co-accused, Malaysian national Walter Wong Long, detained at the Tarlac Provincial Jail, was ordered to be transferred to the Pasig City Jail. Meanwhile, Huang Zhiyang, whom the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) tagged as the "Boss of all Bosses" of illegal Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) and former Technology and Livelihood Resource Center deputy director General Dennis Cunanan remain at large. "The detention of Alice Guo and Walter Wong Long, as well as the pending arrest orders against their cohorts, is a testament that the wheels of justice are efficiently rolling toward the right direction," Remulla said. "To the remaining co-accused still playing hide-and-seek with authorities, immediately surrender without hesitation or asking any condition; the law will definitely catch up with you," he added. Sen. Risa Hontiveros, who leads the Senate probe on illegal POGOs, lauded the various government agencies who worked hard to bring Guo and her cohorts to justice. "She can't post bail, so she can't use her POGO money to get around the law. This is a good start and a big win for the victims of the POGO scam hub in Bamban, Tarlac," the senator said in a statement in Filipino. The author of the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, Hontiveros was delighted to see the law used effectively. "We thank the Department of Justice for the swift action in the case of this fake Filipino. A tribute also goes to the National Bureau of Investigation, Anti Money Laundering Council and other law enforcement agencies that fully assisted the Senate in revealing the truth. I also laud the PAOCC for this effort, from the raid and rescue to the case filing," she said. "Guo Hua Ping, you have no escape. We will have at least one more hearing. Take that opportunity to tell the whole truth finally," Hontiveros said.