Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa yesterday said he has “A1” information that “someone” from Malacañang had supposedly sent an emissary to allegedly ask dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo, or Guo Hua Ping, to sign a prepared affidavit implicating him, former President Rodrigo Duterte, Sen. Christopher Go, and former PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) chief Maj. General Romeo Caramat in the illegal operation of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).
Dela Rosa made the claim during yesterday’s hearing of the Senate Committee on Women on the criminal activities linked to POGO operations.
The senator, a staunch ally of the former president, was questioning Mary Ann Maslog, who has been convicted of graft for her involvement in the 1998 textbook scam, when he raised the allegation.
Maslog faked her death in 2019 to escape the warrant of arrest issued by the court in relation to her graft conviction. She was arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation last week.
Maslog, who now goes by the name Dr. Jessica Francisco, has earlier claimed she was supposedly recruited by the PNP Intelligence Group to facilitate the surrender of Guo while the latter was in Indonesia.
She was invited as a resource person in the hearing after it was reported that she had twice visited Guo at the PNP Custodial Center in Camp Crame.
Maslog was reportedly accompanied by Guo’s lawyer, Stephen David, and PNP Intelligence Group director Brig. Gen. Romeo Juan Macapaz.
Dela Rosa said a “very reliable source” informed him that Malacañang allegedly wanted Guo to sign the prepared affidavit that Maslog brought with her during the visits.
“Mayroon akong impormasyon na you are being used para papirmahin si Alice Guo ng affidavit, affidavit na magtuturo na si Presidente Duterte, si Senator Bong Go, si Senator Bato, at Gen. Caramat ay nasa likod ng POGO… I can pin you down. Huwag kang iiling-iling diyan. Alam ko yang impormasyon na ‘yan (I have information that you are being used to make Alice Guo sign an affidavit which will point to [former] President Duterte, Sen. Bong Go, Sen. Bato, and Gen. Caramat as behind the POGO operations… I can pin you down. Do not shake your head. I know that information),” Dela Rosa said.
When asked to confirm his statement, Guo opted to “remain silent.”
Maslog denied Dela Rosa’s allegation and said that she visited Guo because the latter was offering “information” on the presence of “someone” in Bamban in relation to the operation of POGOs.
She also belied that Malacañang used her to convince Guo to sign the alleged affidavit.
Macapaz, who joined the hearing via teleconferencing since he was not an invited resource person, said he accompanied Maslog during her first visit but not during her second visit.
Macapaz said he joined Maslog and David on their first visit to Guo since the dismissed mayor was reportedly set to reveal the names of the people behind illegal POGO operations.
“Kaya sumama ako kasi may ire-reveal daw si Alice na vital sa operations na ito. May involved pa raw na malaking tao. There are names mentioned, it was recorded (The reason why I joined them was because Alice will allegedly reveal something which is vital to these [illegal POGO] operations. There are allegedly ‘big people’ involved. Their names were mentioned, it was recorded),” he said.
He said he will reveal the names in an executive session, but senators turned down his request.
Maslog, when pressed to name at least one of the names, said she saw a certain “ALG” in the “communication,” which she presumed was the initials of Alice Leal Guo, and alleged that the name “Faeldon” also came up.
Guo said Maslog could be referring to former Bureau of Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon, who she said has a goat farm in Bamban, Tarlac.
CONTEMPT
Dela Rosa moved to cite Maslog in contempt for supposedly lying on her role in convincing Guo to surrender while the latter was hiding in Indonesia.
He said Maslog was obviously lying before the committee when she said that it was Macapaz who tapped her to convince Guo to surrender to authorities, contrary to what Macapaz said that it was Maslog who volunteered.
“Now, Gen. Macapaz is saying that Mary Ann Maslog went to him to volunteer. With that I move that Ms. Mary Ann Maslog be cited for contempt,” Dela Rosa said, which was later approved by Sen. Risa Hontiveros, chairperson of the Committee on Women.
Maslog had said she was asked by the PNP IG to contact Sual, Pangasinan Mayor Liseldo Calugay to seek his help in convincing Guo to yield.
She said the PNP IG knew of her friendship with Calugay and thought that he can contact Guo because of their reported romantic relations.
Macapaz said Maslog told him that she has direct contact with David and “we believe that they will give us positive information.”
He said they brought along Maslog during their first trip to Indonesia, the date of which he cannot recall, so she can talk with Guo.
He added that Guo did not show up on that first instance.
Maslog said she went to Indonesia with Macapaz and his team when Guo was already arrested in Indonesia. She said her airfare was reimbursed by the PNP IG, which was denied by Macapaz who said that his office does not have funds for such trips.
Sen. Jinggoy Estrada said Maslog was lying throughout the hearing.
Maslog will still be detained at the NBI headquarters despite the Senate contempt citation due to a commitment order from the court.
Hontiveros suspended the hearing after more than seven hours of hearing.
