Excerpts Q and A of Senator Risa Hontiveros

PHILIPPINES, March 18 - Press Release
March 18, 2025

Excerpts Q and A of Senator Risa Hontiveros
Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights (Subcommittee) hearing
March 18, 2025

Senator Risa Hontiveros (SRH): Thank you, Comsec, and thank you to all our resource persons, including those who have taken the oath this morning. So, magsisimula po ako sa PAOCC kasi nung huling hearing di po sila nakadalo.

Perhaps you can help the committee. Will it be Director Quidato or Director Casio? So, Director Casio, please. Do you have new information on how Guo Hoa Ping left the country?

PAOCC Director Winston Casio (Casio): Unfortunately, ma'am, our information that we were able to get via confirmation from our Malaysian counterparts is only the manner by which she arrived from Denpasar in Bali to Kuala Lumpur.

They stand by their contention that her party left Bali on July 17 and landed in Kuala Lumpur International Airport on the 18th. That is the only confirmation that we were able to obtain from the Malaysian counterparts. We tried confirming the same, ma'am, with our Indonesian counterparts. Unfortunately, they don't have, they have not sent their confirmation by, they simply stated that they have no record to that effect.

SRH: So yung pinakaunang-unang tanong ng hearing na to, hindi pa rin natin masagot. And itatanong ko ulit mamaya, lalo na sa Bureau of Immigration.

By the way, Director Casio, can you confirm the links of Liduan Wang to New Oriental Club 88? Mahalaga sa akin ang confirmation mula sa inyo kasi if I'm not mistaken, the bill for his citizenship is now up for the signature of the President. So may information po ba kayo dun sa Liduan Wang links sa New Oriental Club 88?

Casio: Yes ma'am, we confirmed the SEC document that was shown earlier. That basically establishes his link to POGOS.

SRH:Well, thank you so much for that. Kasi na-anticipate niyo na yung follow-up question ko, or point, na my understanding is Liduan Wang was found in a building that was raided last night. Although as of last night, wala pa pong confirmation kung may POGO. At least ngayon narinig ko sa inyo na you are confirming the SEC document that shows a link to POGO.

As far as I know, yung raid ay bunga ng isang mission order ng BI. So itatanong ko rin mamaya sa Bureau of Immigration, Mission order ng BI na may scam operation doon. So, I will pursue that point in a few minutes. Actually, if I could proceed now to the Bureau of Immigration, dahil napag-uusapan na rin ito. So, kay Comm Viado, please, itong good morning. Ito pong raid kagabi ay base sa mission order ninyo, tama po ba?

BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado (Viado): Yes po, that's correct po ma'am.

SRH: Alright, ano po yung naging intel na basehan ng operation o raid na yun?

Viado: Based on the intelligence packet po na tinatawag, kung saan, yun po ang naging basehan ng issuance sa mission order, meron daw pong allegation ng ongoing na scam doon po sa particular building na yun. Yun po, yun po yung naging basihan ng mission order, Madam Senator.

SRH: At sa mismong building na yun, natagpuan niyo dun si Liduan Wang, tama po?

Viado: Ang natanggap po naming information is he was within the building but not within the premises of the office that was raided.

SRH: So, wala siya sa premises ng office na mismong ni-raid pero nasa loob siya ng building, kung nasaan yung office na yun.

Viado: That is the information that we gathered.

SRH: So, bakit daw po siya nandun sa building na yun?

Viado: We never got to question the person of interest concerning that, Your Honor. Hindi po namin na-establish ang any connection between him and the corporation that was raided.

SRH: So, coincidence lang po, gaya ng ang business ni Liduan ay nasa parehong building ng business ni She Zhijiang. Ganun po ba? Coincidence lang ba yun?

Viado: Hindi ko pa ho ma-establish, your Honor, at this point, if it was merely coincidental.

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Senator Sherwin Gatchalian (Gatchalian): Ang tanong, paano siya nakaabot sa Denpasar? Paano siya napunta sa Bali? Tingin ko, I don't know now, pero common sense will dictate, I think that he's a very far voyage by sea.

I think that she can only go there by air. Again, subject to validation. Pero alam ko kasi ang mga common root, yung sinabi ni Ace, si DG Acedillo, ang bagsak mo is Saba, and then from there, umaalis ka na papunta iba-iba. Pero never ko naririnig from Philippines to Bali by sea. So the only logical conclusion there is by air. So is CAAP here?

SRH: Yes, Senator Sherwin, CAAP is here.

Gatchalian: Because we also, in one of the hearings of the good chair, we requested KAAP to scan all the possible charter flights, non-commercial charter flights that flew from Manila or flew from any point in the Philippines, papuntang Bali, then Denpasar. Did you do your scanning?

SRH: Attorney Buenaventura, please.

CAAP Atty Roberto Buenaventura: Yes, Madam Chair. On August 20, this committee required us to submit all the information relative to that query, Mr. Chair. And we submitted every flight plan that was submitted throughout the Philippines within the dates included, Mr. Chair.

SRH: Could you make a record, based on your report, your answer to the question of Senator Sherwin, how Guo Hua Ping et al. arrived in Denpasar?

Buenaventura: Based on our report, Madam Chair, there was no information on any of the flight plans that were submitted regarding the passengers, including the Guo siblings, Madam Chair. So far as CAAP is concerned, based on our submissions, they did not fly out in any of the points of air travel in the Philippines.

Gatchalian: Is it possible that they can charter a flight, aalis sila ng Pilipinas, lalanding sila sa Denpasar, na walang pasabi sa gobyerno? Is that a possible scenario? Palalanding ba sila sa Denpasar, nang walang any approval from the Philippines?

Buenaventura: Ah, no, Mr. Chair. The process is, even in private airstrips, they're required to submit a flight plan. And even if they don't submit a flight plan, our radar in our CNS ATM facility can capture these flights. And what we do for these flights that are not declared or did not submit the flight plans, we forward it to the PADCC, the Philippine Air Defense Control Center. And these are monitored by the Philippine Air Force and considered as threats. And the control of the aircraft will not be transferred to the FIR of the receiving country. So they will not have any permission to land in the destination.

Gatchalian: So they cannot land? They cannot land, yes. Hindi sila pwedeng mag-landing nalang basta-basta sa Bali.

Buenaventura: Yes, Senator.

SRH: Senator Sherwin, if I may, at this point, so did any, as far as CAAP knows, did any of the other agencies or did CAAP itself ask any of the airlines kung meron silang ci-narry na ganyang mga pasahero to that destination?

Buenaventura: Based on the submitted flight plans, Madam Chair, in the submissions including all the airlines were required to submit, none of them were declared in any of the flight manifests in the flight plans.

SRH: So private or chartered flight talaga yung mas plausible?

Buenaventura: Yes, but even with that, Madam Chair, the control of the flight will not be turned over to the receiving country, so they will not be able to land. So it's highly implausible that they flew.

Gatchalian: Madam Chair. May I request, Madam Chair, from the different agencies, from BI, from CAAP, from NICA, and also from PAOC, to look at this angle, because that's the missing link. We know that she arrived in Bali at one point and she left Bali on July 17, I think gabi yang time flight na yun, and arrived in Kuala Lumpur July 18. That's established na eh. But what we cannot establish is how did she arrive or how did she get to Bali, then Denpasar, yun ang hindi natin makita-kita.

So may I get, may I request the relevant agencies to investigate further? Ito yung puzzle na kulang eh, na nakikita natin eh. Thank you, Madam Chair.

SRH: Thank you, Senator Sherwin. Actually, I think we asked that to be done by all the agencies since we started this investigation. So, but as far as CAAP also knows, wala kayong makitang flight, whether commercial or chartered, na sinakyan nina Guo Hua Ping papuntang Denpasar.

Buenaventura: Yes, ma'am.

SRH: But you're not ruling out that she arrived there, or are you already ruling out that she arrived there? Para let's just zoom in on the simplest possible story.

Buenaventura: For CAAP, ma'am, we are ruling out that she flew via, she arrived there via air transport.

SRH: Alright, so you're ruling out that she arrived by air in Denpasar. Pero yung sinasabing Batik Air, OD-177, nakita ba yung flight manifest noon?

Buenaventura: We'll verify this, Madam Chair.

SRH: I'm a bit taken aback na hindi pa ito vinerify ng CAAP kasi hindi ito yung first time na nabanggit yung OD. At kababanggit din ni Sen. Sherwin yun. Could I please ask Director Cascio kung nakita po ba sa flight manifest ng Batik Air OD-177, sina Guo Hua Ping?

PAOCC Director Winston Casio (Casio): According to our foreign counterparts, yes ma'am. But that is a foreign air carrier. So that's not a local air carrier. So I don't think CAAP would have access to that flight plan.

SRH: Alright, but we're trying to establish. Yung sinasabi ni Senator Sherwin, paano ba siya nakatakas? Is it possible that Guo Hua Ping et al. flew Batik Air OD-177 from any point in the Philippines to Denpasar?

Casio: No ma'am, it's only from Denpasar to Kuala Lumpur. That's already established as far as we are concerned. The only question as the good Senator Gatchalian was asking earlier on was how she arrived in Denpasar Valley. That's the only point of contention at this point, Madam Chair.

SRH: Since PAOCC has mentioned Denpasar as a possible point in her outbound flight from the Philippines, kayo po ba may teorya how she got to anywhere in the Philippines to Denpasar?

Casio: Madam Chair, we wouldn't want to go into conjecture at this point because we're still verifying with the other foreign counterparts, basically Indonesia, as to how she was able to arrive in that country, Madam Chair.

SRH: Alright. And Indonesia, by the way, which has even more islands than us, no? And even longer coastline than us. Kaya both Indonesia and we as archipelagos, hindi pwedeng makatigil sa ganong sirkumstansya, yung mga dahilan at pagdadahilan natin. So if we could go at this point to PPA and Marina, who is here for the PPA? Yes, good morning. Sir De Hoya.

Sir, sa mga pagdinig ng Senado sa mga iligal na gawain ni Guo Huaping, kasama na yung pagtakas niya, ulit-ulit pong lumilitaw ang koneksyon kay Mayor Liseldo "Dong" Calugay ng Sual, Pangasinan. Bukod sa pagtulong kay Guo Hoa Ping na pagtakpan yung pagtakas, isa pong posibilidad na tinitignan natin ay tumulong mismo si Mayor Calugay na patakasin si Guo gamit ang barko mula sa Sual Port. So this is one theory. May records po ba ang PPA? And mamaya tatanungin ko rin po ang Marina.

May records po ba ang inyong authority sa mga vessel na dumaong at umalis mula sa Sual Port nung panahon iyon? Huling dalawang linggo ng July, sabihin natin. At identified rin po ba yung mga may-ari na mga vessels na iyon?

Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) Atty. Sherwin De Joya: Your Honor, insofar as the PPA is concerned, Your Honor, our mandate is to establish, regulate, and develop a national port system, Your Honor. Our police authority is limited insofar as security control within port premises. So we only ensure that the passenger and the cargo passing through the ports we administer are protected. We have no authority, Your Honor, insofar as immigration and customs clearances, Your Honor, as they are under a different government agency, Your Honor.

SRH: So, but so therefore you're saying that PPA has no reason to conduct any kind of fact-finding in relation dito sa posibleng vessel na umalis sa Sual Port bilang tulong ni Mayor Calugay kay Guo Hua Ping.

De Joya: Your Honor, we provide secondary support, Your Honor, to the concerned government agency as may be requested, Your Honor. So that's our role, Your Honor, insofar as this matter is concerned.

SRH: So wala kayong fact-finding o investigation na ginawa rito. Alright. Okay, I will also ask this question of Marina, pero let's just hang on to that question.