JUSTICE Undersecretary Nicholas Felix Ty confirmed that the agency is now preparing an immigration lookout bulletin order (ILBO) against Alice Guo, the embattled Bamban, Tarlac mayor who is accused of complicity in the alleged illegal activities of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) in her town.
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla may sign the order next week, he added.
An ILBO does not prevent a person from leaving the country. It is only a “monitoring mechanism” where the government is alerted whenever individuals on the list enter or leave the country.
“Dahil na-file na yung kaso, pino-process na namin yung ILBO. Dadaan lang ito sa internal processes ng DOJ at hopefully by next week, mapirmahan na ni Secretary (Remulla) ang ILBO,” Ty said in a chance interview.
Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) Prosecutor Benjamin Samson defended the issuance of the ILBO against Guo, claiming that respondents in general are “flight risks.”
But Samson believes that Guo won’t abscond in light of the local official’s declaration that she will face the charges squarely in every forum.
“Hindi naman natin matatanggi na kahit sinong makasuhan ng kriminal ay may flight risk, lalo na kung may resources ito na mangibang bansa. Ngunit ito namang kay Mayor Guo, hopefully hindi naman siya lilipad dahil siya mismo at kanyang mga representatives nagsasabi na nais niyang harapin ang mga alegasyon laban sa kanya,” Samson said.
He added that Guo, as a public official, cannot just leave the country without a travel authority.
Just moments ago, the Philippine National Police–Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) filed a non-bailable offense of qualified human trafficking against Guo over accusations linking her to alleged illegal activities of a POGO hub in her town.
Apart from Guo, former Technology and Resource Center deputy director general Dennis Cunanan, a Chinese national named Huang Zhiyang, and several other individuals implicated in the operation of a POGO hub in Bamban face similar charges before the Department of Justice (DOJ).
