FACT CHECK: No immigration officials identified in Alice Guo’s PH exit

Claim: Immigration officials who helped dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo leave the Philippines have been identified and caught.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: As of writing, the YouTube video bearing the claim has gained 38,289 views, 457 likes, and 227 comments. It was posted on August 20, a day after news broke that Guo left the Philippines in July.

The video’s title reads: “Kakapasok lang kompirmado na! Mayor Alice Guo kasabwat sa pagtakas, huli opisyal ng immigration dawit” 

(Just in: Confirmed! Mayor Alice Guo’s accomplice in her escape was caught, an immigration official is implicated.)

The bottom line: No official reports from the Bureau of Immigration (BI) or other reputable sources confirm this claim.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. earlier vowed to expose the culprits who helped the escape of the former mayor accused of faking her Filipino citizenship and of having links to Philippine offshore gaming operators. While he later said that he had an idea of whose heads would roll over the incident, he did not provide more details or names but said they were immigration personnel.

The Department of Justice also said it is suspecting immigration personnel, but did not disclose names.

On September 4, Guo was arrested in the Greater Jakarta metropolitan area of Indonesia and is now under the custody of Indonesian authorities. Speaking to reporters, Marcos said government officials who helped Guo flee will face charges. (READ: How Alice Guo was caught by Indonesian police in only 18 days)

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Exit from the Philippines: On August 19, Senator Risa Hontiveros revealed that Guo fled the country on July 18,  en route to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. According to Hontiveros, Guo used her Philippine passport to leave the country.

“Mr. President, who allowed this travesty to happen? Sino ang may kagagawan nito? Hindi makakaalis si Alice Guo kung walang tumulong sa kanya na mga opisyales ng pamahalaan. Para tayong ginisa sa sarili nating mantika,” Hontiveros said.

(Mr. President, who allowed this travesty to happen? Who is responsible for this? Alice Guo wouldn’t have been able to leave without the assistance of government officials. It’s as if we’ve been fried in our own lard.)

The BI reported that there was no record of Guo’s departure from the Philippines in their centralized database. However, the BI did obtain records of Guo’s entry into Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on July 18, Singapore on July 21, and Batam, Indonesia, on August 18.

The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) added that “somebody dropped the ball” and allowed Guo to illegally depart the Philippines. 

The controversial mayor faces a number of complaints, from human trafficking to money laundering. – Andrei Santos/Rappler.com

Andrei Santos is a graduate of Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program. This fact check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program here.

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