Former Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos on Thursday welcomed the conviction of former Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo and her accomplices for qualified trafficking, saying the ruling affirms that the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) fulfilled their mandate with fairness and diligence.
“Today’s ruling shows that the DILG and PNP fulfilled their mandate, acted without bias, and ensured that the justice process ran its full course up to the conviction that we’re seeing and celebrating today,” Abalos said.
He oversaw the months-long effort to locate Guo after she went into hiding.
The Pasig Regional Trial Court found Guo, along with Jaimielyn Santos Cruz, Rachelle Malonzo Carreon, and Walter Wong Rong, guilty of crimes tied to an illegal POGO-linked hub in Bamban.
Abalos said the verdict validates the extensive operations to track her down, noting that teams spent weeks verifying leads until her presence in Indonesia was confirmed.
The outcome, he said, proved that “the months of work by law-enforcement agencies tracking down Guo to face her crimes did not go to waste.”
Guo resurfaced in Indonesia, prompting Abalos and then-PNP chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil to fly to Jakarta on September 5 to secure her arrest and repatriation.
“I and General Marbil worked closely with high-level officials in Indonesia to secure her arrest and bring her home to face the law,” he recalled.
The retrieval drew criticism after a photo showed Abalos, Marbil, and a smiling Guo flashing a peace sign. Abalos clarified that Guo had asked to discuss alleged death threats and said the photo was routine documentation, adding he did not notice her gesture at the time.