Those who helped Guo will pay the price - BBM

The arrest of dismissed Bamban mayor Alice Guo in Indonesia early yesterday is a warning to those trying to escape justice that the law will catch up with them, President Marcos said, as he vowed to dismiss and to file cases against officials found to be in cahoots with her.

- ALEXIS ROMERO

“Let this serve as a warning to those who attempt to evade justice. Such is an exercise in futility. The arm of the law is long and it will reach you,” Marcos said in a video statement on Guo’s arrest.

“This government continues in its duty to apply the rule of law,” Marcos added.

The President yesterday gave assurance that Guo shall be entitled to all legal protections due her under existing laws and pursuant to his administration’s commitment to the rule of law.

“But we will not allow this to prolong the resolution of the case, whose outcome will be a victory for the Filipino people,” Marcos said.

The Chief Executive congratulated the law enforcement personnel behind Guo’s arrest and thanked the Indonesian government for its assistance.

Guo, who is facing graft, human trafficking and money laundering raps in relation to her supposed link to a Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) in her town, was arrested in Tangerang City in Jakarta at 1 a.m. yesterday, more than a month after she secretly left the Philippines.

The Senate ordered Guo’s arrest for her failure to attend its hearings on the operations of a POGO hub in Bamban that was raided by authorities in March for alleged human trafficking and serious illegal detention.