‘Heads will roll’: Philippine President Marcos vows accountability after ex-mayor’s alleged escape

Officials found to have helped a former mayor in her alleged escape from the Philippines amid potential charges linked to illegal gaming operations will be fired, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. warned Wednesday. 

Marcos issued the statement hours after immigration officials and intelligence operatives said that Alice Guo had fled the country last month. 

“Let me be clear: Heads will roll,” Marcos said. “We will expose the culprits who have betrayed the people’s trust and aided in her flight.”

However, Guo’s lawyer, Stephen David, told journalists that the former mayor was still in the Philippines, but he did not provide further details.

In July, the Office of the Ombudsman ordered Guo’s dismissal as mayor of Bamban, a town in northern Tarlac province, over suspected links to criminal activities and barred her from running again for public office. 

The Ombudsman alleged that Guo had committed misconduct in her town, where the government in February and March had raided hubs for supposed illegal activities involving Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs). 

Marcos said the alleged escape “laid bare the corruption that undermines our justice system and erodes public trust.”

He said that a “full-scale investigation” was underway, and those found to have aided Guo to get away “will be suspended and will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

“There is no room in this government for anyone who places personal interest above serving the Filipino people with honor, integrity and justice,” Marcos said.

Philippine authorities had issued an Immigration Lookout Bulletin order (ILBO) against Guo. An ILBO instructs immigration authorities to alert the justice department if an individual under such an order attempts to leave the country.

However, unlike a hold departure order, an ILBO cannot legally prevent someone from leaving.

It was not clear when Guo left the country, but immigration chief Norman Tansingco said Tuesday that she may have departed as early as July. 

Based on intelligence reports of Philippine authorities, Guo was monitored to have allegedly entered Malaysia on July 18, before proceeding to Singapore three days later. On Aug. 18, she was said to have taken a ferry to nearby Batam island in Indonesia.

The foreign office said it had already canceled Guo’s passport, and coordinated with the International Criminal Police Organization or Interpol for her possible arrest.

‘Slap in the face’

On Wednesday, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian called on the government to punish Guo’s unnamed accomplices who made it possible for her to flee. 

“This is a slap in the face of the Bureau of Immigration, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines and the airport manager concerned,” Gatchalian told reporters. 

“You can't just walk into an airport undetected, nor can you leave our airports undocumented. You have to pass through immigration and countless CCTVs. There should be traces of movement inside the airport all the way to boarding the plane.”

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Guo and alleged links to POGOs

Guo was the subject of a congressional probe investigating alleged criminal activities involving POGOs. Several senators had also accused her of having alleged ties to Chinese criminal syndicates and faking her identity as a Filipino. 

Last month, the Senate ordered police to arrest Guo for failing to appear before its inquiry.

Guo, who became mayor of Bamban in 2022, had maintained she was a Filipino and denied having links to illegal POGOs.

POGOs are gaming hubs that cater to foreign customers, including nationals from China, where gambling is illegal. But authorities said some POGOs were illegal and served as fronts for criminal operations, including human trafficking, scams, and other activities. 

In July, Marcos ordered the shutdown of all POGO sites in the country that proliferated during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte, whose term ended in 2022. 

Jojo Riñoza and Gerard Carreon in Manila contributed to this report.