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How did Alice go? Tulfo grills maritime, airport authorities

Article (news)

Andrea Taguines

ABS-CBN News

<div><span data-teams="true" id="isPasted"><span dir="ltr"></span></span></div><p><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="color:rgb(191, 185, 177);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(24, 26, 27);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;float:none;--darkreader-inline-color:#bbb5ac;--darkreader-inline-bgcolor:#131516;display:inline !important"></span>Dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo is being sent back to the Philippines Thursday and Senator Raffy Tulfo on Thursday continued to grill several maritime, aviation, and immigration officials on how she was able to escape in the first place.</p><p>Tulfo, who chairs the Senate Committee on Public Services, believes Guo was able to escape because of their lax passenger screening procedures.</p><p>“Palagi nating binabanggit yung mga backdoor… Wala ba tayong ginagawang pagbabantay doon o pagmomonitor 24/7?” Tulfo asked the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).</p><p>The embattled former mayor’s companion, Shiela Guo, earlier claimed that they were able flee to Malaysia via a small white boat before transferring to a larger fishing vessel.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/9/5/alice-guo-to-be-back-in-ph-on-thursday-night-senator-1132" id="isPasted">Alice Guo returning to Philippines on Thursday night: senator</a></div><p>The PCG told the senator that it has eyes on all ports and border crossing points going to Malaysia and Indonesia.</p><p>“Meron po tayong pagbabantay doon, 24/7 po yun, at particularly kapag may mga designated departure o arrival time ng ating mga passenger boats crossing into our border… including cargo ports,” said Capt. Oliver Tanseco, commander of the Coast Guard Investigation and Detection Management Service.</p><p>But he also admitted that there are loopholes that the suspects may have taken advantage of, if Guo’s story is to be believed, such as the lack of regulations on speed boats, like those being used by resorts for leisure and water activities.</p><p> “Yun po, sa ngayon, ang kakulangan natin sa pagmo-monitor kasi hindi po kailangan sa pier or port kung nasaan ang Coast Guard, ang Custom Immigration and Quarantine, (dumaan) palabas ng bansa ng isang small boat… Sabi niya resort daw ito, sumakay sila doon, yun po ngayon ang wala kaming pagbabantay kasi nga po these are privately-owned,” explained Tanseco.</p><p>“Binypass niya yung existing po nating regulation,” he added.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/9/5/no-evidence-of-collusion-between-immigration-guo-for-her-escape-paocc-1221" id="isPasted">No evidence of collusion between immigration, Guo for her escape — PAOCC </a></div><p>To address this, Tanseco said the PCG is proposing to have an Automatic Identification System for all types of sea vessels.</p><div><strong>LAX SCREENING OF CHARTERED FLIGHTS</strong></div><p>Tulfo also criticized the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) for not properly screening general aviation passengers or those onboard chartered planes.</p><p>“Marahil dito siguro dumaan si Alice Guo kaya nakatakas ng bansa... Hindi ka dadaan sa tulad ng mga dinadaanan ng mga ordinaryong pasahero sa commercial flight na tulad ng frisking, x-ray, immigration booth, then another inspection again,” said Tulfo.</p><p>“Pag private plane ka, dadaan ka sa isang special gate, sakay ka ng SUV o limousine and then didiretso ka sa hangar or sa tarmac, aakyat ka sa hagdan, papasok ka, bitbit mo yung maleta mo, kung anuman ang laman nyan, walang x-ray. After that, dadating yung CIQ/Customs Immigration and Quarantine, magtatanong-tanong lang, hindi na isa-scan yung passport, iva-viber lang, pipicturan, ipapadala sa central office, sasabihin ng central office, clear yan, go na,” he said.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/9/4/dismissed-bamban-mayor-alice-guo-arrested-in-indonesia-2050" id="isPasted">Dismissed Bamban mayor Alice Guo arrested in Indonesia</a></div><p>The senator said his own team even tried inquiring about the process and was told that there is a “special arrangement” for chartered flight passengers.</p><p>“Aalamin ko po yung sinabi ninyo, kung sino, para titignan ko po anong pwede naming gawin sa kanya,” MIAA General Manager Eric Ines replied.</p><p>The MIAA also told Tulfo that it has finished setting up the one-stop processing center for passengers of private planes at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 4. It expects to start operating it sometime next week.</p><p>“Sa loob ng one-stop processing center na ito, nandito na rin ang ating Bureau of Customs, Bureau of Immigration, pati ang ating Quarantine, pati na rin yung ating OTS (Office of Transportation Security),” said MIAA Spokesperson Chris Bendijo in a separate interview with ABS-CBN News.</p><p>“This will be a stricter process wherein lahat ng (General Aviation) passengers will really have to go through the normal checking process… We need it, we recognize, and we submit to the recommendations of the Senator,” added Bendijo.</p><p>Once the operation and management NAIA is turned over to the private sector later this month, Tulfo noted he was assured by the concessionaire that it will also address this problem.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/9/5/alice-guo-s-brother-wesley-willing-to-surrender-lawyer-1202" id="isPasted">Wesley Guo willing to surrender: lawyer </a></div><p>Meanwhile, the CAAP also vowed stricter enforcement of security screening rules on chartered flights, whether international or domestic. </p><p>On the part of the Bureau of Customs, it said one problem that the agency is facing is the lack of manpower in domestic airports, particularly the newly-built ones. </p><p>“Wala pa po tayong plantilla positions so konti pa lang po ang naka-assign dyan. So kung ganun, siguro request po ng additional customs (personnel),” said Atty. Julito Doria, the Deputy Collector for Operations at the Port of Manila.</p>