Sister, cohort of town mayor with China links indicted
By Chloe Mari A. Hufana, Reporter
GOVERNMENT PROSECUTORS on Wednesday filed charges before a Pasay court against two cohorts of a former Philippine mayor accused of having ties with Chinese criminal syndicates.
The Department of Justice-National Prosecution Service accused Shiela L. Guo and Cassandra Li Ong of violating the Revised Penal Code for ignoring summonses issued by Congress.
The cases were filed at a Pasay City court, Justice Undersecretary Raul T. Vasquez told BusinessWorld in a Viber message.
Ex-Bamban Mayor Alice L. Guo, who has been linked to illegal offshore gaming operations in the country, her two siblings including Shiela, and Ms. Ong fled the Philippines last month. Shiela and Ms. Ong were arrested by Indonesian authorities last week and sent back to the Philippines.
In a resolution issued on Tuesday and released on Wednesday, government prosecutors also accused Shiela, whose real name is supposed to be Zhang Mier, of using a fake Philippine passport.
Ms. Ong was also charged with obstruction of Justice for harboring, concealing, or facilitating the escape of Alice L. Guo.
Stephen L. David, Shiela’s lawyer, did not immediately reply to a text message seeking comment. Ferdinand S. Topacio, Ms. Ong’s lawyer, did not give an intelligent answer when contacted via Viber.
“First, she (Shiela) was summoned, then she ignored and refused to obey the summons, and it appears that such disobedience is willful, considering that she absconded, she left the country under suspicious circumstances,” National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers President Ephraim B. Cortez told BusinessWorld in a Viber message. “This indicates her willful intent to disobey the summons.”
During a Senate hearing on Tuesday, Shiela admitted that she was born and raised in China. She moved to the Philippines when she was about 16 or 17 years old, she added.
Mr. Cortez said this revelation means she should not have been entitled to a Philippine passport.
“Since she has a supposed valid Philippine Passport, it is clear that she used forged documents to obtain the passport,” he said.
“Since Shiela Guo waived her right to remain silent and against self-incrimination, and she did this with the advice of counsel, the admissions she made during the Senate committee hearing may be used against her in any criminal proceedings,” he added.
Shiela told senators she and her siblings boarded a small white boat for Malaysia. From there, they flew to Singapore. They then boarded a ferry to go to Indonesia.
Ms. Ong is an incorporator of Lucky South 99, a Philippine offshore gaming operator in Porac, Pampanga in northern Philippines that police raided earlier this year.
