Philippines says probing escape of ex-mayor accused of Chinese crime links

MANILA — Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said on Wednesday (Aug 21) his government was investigating how Alice Guo, a former town mayor accused of ties with Chinese criminal syndicates, managed to flee the country.

Marcos warned that "heads will roll" a day after he ordered Guo's Philippine passport cancelled following her escape which was confirmed based on foreign immigration records.

"We will expose the culprits who have betrayed the people's trust and aided in her flight," Marcos said in a statement. "Those responsible will be suspended and will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law."

Guo, wanted by the Senate for refusing to attend hearings on her alleged criminal ties, denies the accusations, insisting she is a natural-born Philippine citizen facing "malicious accusations."

The Senate investigation began in May after authorities raided a casino in Guo's sleepy farming town of Bamban in March, uncovering what authorities said were scams perpetrated from a facility built on land partially owned by the former mayor.

Guo was recently removed from office by the Ombudsman for grave misconduct.

A spokesperson for the Presidential Anti-Organised Crime Commission said Guo travelled to Malaysia, Singapore last month and in Indonesia this month using her Philippine passport.

An Indonesian immigration official who declined to be named because he is not authorised to speak to the media confirmed that Guo entered the country on Aug 18 at 1.13 pm [0513 GMT]. The official did not immediately respond when asked if Guo was still in Indonesia.

However, her lawyer Stephen David said Guo remains in the Philippines, without providing further details.

Guo's case comes at a time of growing Philippine suspicion about China's activities following an increasingly tense dispute over reefs and shoals in the busy waterway of the South China Sea, where both nations have overlapping claims.

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