Malaysia not cooperating in Guo escape probe – DOJ

March 20, 2025 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Malaysia has refused to cooperate with the Philippine government’s investigation into the escape of former mayor Alice Guo of Bamban, Tarlac, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said yesterday.

He said this could be because of the possible links of the issue to the longstanding territorial dispute between the two countries over Sabah.

Remulla said Malaysian authorities declined to provide crucial information regarding Guo’s departure from the Philippines, including flight records and details of the aircraft allegedly used in her escape to Malaysia.

“Malaysia is supposed to give us the information. They know what flight entered, what aircraft entered, where she was riding, but they refused to give it to us for some reasons that were alluded to about the cases of our brothers in the South,” Remulla said at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay.

When asked if he was referring to Sabah, Remulla confirmed, “Yes.”

He acknowledged that the Department of Justice, which oversees the Bureau of Immigration (BI), has hit a roadblock in its investigation despite efforts made in coordination with the Department of Foreign Affairs.

“We have done everything,” he said in Filipino.

The issue comes in the wake of a ruling by a French arbitration court in February 2022, which ordered Malaysia to compensate the heirs of the last Sultan of Sulu over a colonial-era land agreement.

However, Malaysia successfully challenged the enforcement of a partial award, a decision upheld by the Cour de Cassation, France’s Supreme Court for civil and criminal cases, in November 2024.

With this, Remulla appealed to Sen. Risa Hontiveros, who has been vocal in her criticism of the BI over Guo’s escape, to “find it in her heart of hearts to understand the dilemma that the BI is facing in this case.”

The BI said it remains uncertain how Guo managed to leave the country and that there is currently no evidence suggesting that immigration personnel were bribed to facilitate her escape.

Guo, who was also identified as Chinese citizen Guo Hua Ping, was arrested in Indonesia in September last year as she faces several charges over her ties to illegal POGO operations.