PNP chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil has ordered an investigation to determine if protocols were violated in connection with the visits of a graft convict to dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo in her former detention cell at Camp Crame.
“That was ordered investigated by our Chief PNP,” PNP spokeswoman Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo said during the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing, referring to the visit of Mary Ann Maslog, who has been convicted of graft for her involvement in the 1998 textbook scam.
Maslog faked her death in 2019 to escape the law about her graft conviction. She was arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation last week.
Maslog, who now goes by the name Dr. Jessica Francisco, earlier claimed she was supposedly recruited by the PNP Intelligence Group to facilitate the surrender of Guo while the latter was hiding in Indonesia.
Fajardo said the PNP is determining “if there was a violation of the (PNP) policy on the part of Ms. Maslog, particularly on her supposed visit at the Custodial Center of the PNP.”
After her arrest in Indonesia last September 4, Guo was detained at the PNP Custodial Center. She was transferred to the Pasig City Jail last September 23 on orders of a Pasig City court which is trying her for qualified human trafficking.
Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa has said a “very reliable source” told him someone from Malacanang sent an emissary to allegedly ask Guo to sign an affidavit implicating him, former President Duterte, Sen. Bong Go, and former PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group chief Maj. Gen. Romeo Caramat in the illegal operation of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators.
Dela Rosa said his source informed him that Malacañang allegedly wanted Guo to sign the prepared affidavit that Maslog brought with her during her visits.
Citing information from former PNP Intelligence Group chief and now Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao police director Brig. Gen. Romeo Macapaz, Fajardo said Maslog was only allowed to visit Guo once.
Fajardo said Maslog was given the clearance to visit Guo “to gather information from Ms. Alice Guo, particularly those who helped her escape (to Indonesia) and how he fled the country.”
“Gen. Macapaz did not mention (other reasons) other than that,” said Fajardo.
Fajardo said Macapaz was not aware of the second visit of Maslog to Guo.
“Gen. Macapaz denied knowing the second visit. Definitely, we will have to check how she was given access to Guo the second time around,” said Fajardo.
“We’re investigating if protocols and even camp rules were violated,” said Fajardo.
USEFUL OR NOT?
The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) said it is too early to tell if Maslog would be useful in the ongoing investigation on Guo.
PAOCC spokesperson Winston Casio said they currently see nothing in the testimony of Maslog before the Senate that would be of much help in the investigation on Guo.
“Too early to tell, baka mamaya meron naman talaga siyang masasabi but it will really depend on how good an investigator and interviewer you are to ferret out the truth, if any,” Casio told reporters in a chance interview at the Department of Justice Wednesday after he attended a meeting with officials of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking and the Department of the Interior and Local Government.
Last Tuesday, Maslog claimed she was tapped by the PNP-Intelligence Group to talk to Guo and convince her to surrender after the Senate issued a warrant for her arrest.
But her statement was contradicted by PNP-IG chief Gen. Romeo Macapaz, who said it was Maslog who volunteered (to talk to Guo), claiming she had a direct line of communication to Guo’s legal counsel, Stephen David.
David told the hearing it was Maslog who approached him, claiming she had contacts with the top brass of the PNP.
National Bureau of Investigation Director Jaime Santiago said they will conduct further interrogation on Maslog to determine the veracity of her claim.
“We will subject her to tactical interrogation. Nagkaroon na ako ng initial talk sa kanya. Talagang ‘yung observation ng Senate na con artist siya, liar at talagang ang daming istorya (I already had an initial talk with her. But the observation of the Senate is that she is a con artist, a liar and tells so many stories),” Santiago told Teleradyo.
Santiago said they would also subject her to a lie detector or polygraph examination.
“Ako mismo, with the officer on the case, we will conduct a lie detector test. We will see kung ano ang pinagsasabi n’yang information,” he added.
The NBI arrested Maslog last month, saying it was able to prove through fingerprints that she was the one whose case was dismissed by the Sandiganbayan after the court was told of her supposed death in 2019.
But her camp denied she was Maslog. She also invoked her right against self-incrimination during the Senate inquiry.
Casio also said the PAOCC was elated with Guo’s decision not to pursue her reelection plan for the mayoral post in Bamban in the 2025 elections.
“We are happy for the fact na hindi na siya nag-file because at least that is one thing off our minds at hindi na mabababoy ang process natin kasi we are 101 sure she is not a Filipino and no foreign national must be allowed to take part in our electoral process,” Casio added.
Guo is facing a slew of criminal cases, including the non-bailable trafficking in person filed before the Pasig City Regional Trial Court and money laundering before the Department of Justice.
A graft case was also filed against her by the Department of the Interior and Local Government before the Valenzuela City RTC.
The Office of the Solicitor General also filed a quo warranto petition against her before the Manila RTC.
COMELEC CASE
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said it is looking to file an election offense case against Guo in Tarlac in the coming days.
In a press briefing yesterday, Comelec chief George Garcia said they are considering asking the court to have the trial transferred to Metro Manila.
“If the proper time comes, we will officially require our Regional Election Director to file the information in the Regional Trial Court in Tarlac,” said Garcia.
“We are also considering filing a motion later on if there is a need to transfer the trial venue in case it proceeds later on,” he added.
In its 12-page Minute Resolution No. 24-0761, the Comelec en banc adopted the recommendation of its Law Department to file criminal raps against Guo.
The Law Department said there was clear evidence that Guo committed material misrepresentation in her Certificate of Candidacy (COC) in the last May 2022 polls.
“We are giving the former mayor a few days to explore her legal remedies concerning our resolution,” said the poll chief.
Asked why they are considering the transfer of the trial venue, he cited the need to make the process more practical considering other cases against Guo are in Metro Manila.
“The human trafficking charge against her was transferred to Pasig (from Capas, Tarlac). For us, we may also look at having it transferred to Metro Manila,” said Garcia. — With Ashzel Hachero and Gerard Naval