DISMISSED Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo was transferred to the Pasig City Jail yesterday morning but had to be confined at an isolation cell after a medical examination showed she has a possible lung infection.

A convoy of police vehicles left Camp Crame at 8:49 a.m. to bring Guo to the Pasig City jail on orders of a Pasig City court where she is facing a non-bailable case of qualified human trafficking filed last week.

The court has set the arraignment of Guo on September 27 through videoconferencing.

Guo is expected to attend the resumption of the Senate inquiry on the alleged illegal activities of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) today, Tuesday.

Guo fled to Malaysia last July, evading a Senate investigation on her alleged involvement in the operation of illegal offshore gaming hubs. She was nabbed in Indonesia last September 4, brought back to the Philippines, and detained at the PNP Custodial Center.

The convoy arrived at the Pasig jail at around 9:15 a.m. where Guo underwent booking procedures and her mug shots taken.

PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said Guo’s custody was officially transferred to the Pasig City Jail at 9:33 a.m.

Fajardo said Guo underwent a medical and physical examination conducted by the PNP General Hospital and Forensic Group before her transfer to the Pasig City Jail.

“During the medical examination, the doctor found a probable infection on her left lung,” said Fajardo, adding it will be up to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, which supervises the Pasig City Jail, to treat Guo.

Asked how she got the infection, Fajardo said: “We don’t know. But her medical last Friday was clear. Probably from Friday and over the course of the weekend, the possible infection on her lung developed.”

Fajardo said the possible infection was discovered through an x-ray.

“There is a possible infection based on the x-ray examination conducted on her, the doctors deemed it necessary to put that in writing and it will now be the BJMP that will determine what kind of treatment, if there will be treatment at all, (she will undergo) for purposes of treating the suspected infection,” said Fajardo.

ISOLATION CELL

BJMP spokesman Supt. Jayrex Bustinera said Guo was brought to an isolation cell measuring 10 square meters, joining three other detainees who are recovering from tuberculosis.

Bustinera said Guo’s cellmates are taking medication for tuberculosis but are no longer contagious.

“She was put there to protect the general population (of detainees),” said Bustinera of Guo, who was earlier set to join some 40 other detainees in a regular cell.

He said Guo will undergo a GeneXpert test “to confirm if this is TB (tuberculosis).”

“If not (tuberculosis), she will join the others (in the regular cell),” Bustinera said, adding there will be no preferential treatment for Guo.

“No cell phone, no social media and, of course, no internet use,” said Bustinera, adding Guo was made to wear jogging pants and a yellow t-shirt, the same uniform other inmates are wearing inside the facility.

Like the others, Guo can only be visited from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. from Tuesday to Friday and the whole day on Saturday and Sunday. Monday is a non-visiting day.

Bustinera said Guo’s personal doctor, lawyer, and spiritual adviser can visit her anytime.

A Pasig court granted the request of the Senate for Guo to attend the resumption of the inquiry on the alleged illegal activities of POGOs today, Tuesday.

In a two-page order, Pasig City RTC Branch 167 Presiding Judge Annielyn Medes-Cabelis directed officials of the Pasig City Jail Female Dormitory to bring her to the Senate.

“The Jail Warden of the Pasig City Jail Female Dormitory is directed to bring accused Alice Leal Guo aka Guo Hua Ping to the Session Hall, 2nd Floor, Senate of the Philippines on Tuesday, 24 September 2024, at 9 in the morning. The Jail Warden of the Pasig City Jail Female Dormitory is also directed to adopt adequate safety measures to ensure the security and safety of accused Alice Leal Gup aka Guo Hua Ping in relation to her attendance to the Senate hearing,” the order said.

Last Sunday, the court received an email from the Senate, in particular the Committee on Women, children, family relations and gender equality chaired by Sen. Riza Hontiveros, requesting Guo to be allowed to attend the resumption of the hearing.

In another order, the court declared “moot and academic” the petition filed by Guo’s camp for her to remain at the PNP custodial center since she had been turned over to the Pasig City Jail Female Dormitory.

Last Friday, the Pasig court issued a warrant of arrest against Guo and several others in connection with the qualified trafficking in-person case filed by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission and the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.

This concerned the operation of the POGO hub in Bamban which employed hundreds of people who were allegedly forced to run online scams under threat.