📷Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla
NOT even the arrest of fugitive former Bamban Mayor Alice Guo would dissuade Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla from running after Immigration officials whom he claimed helped the dismissed local chief executive escape in July.
“Kasi may suspicions tayo that some Immigration people are involved,” Remulla said amid an ongoing investigation looking into the possibility that some crooks in the bureau helped hatch an escape plan for the fugitive mayor and her siblings – in the same manner Chinese nationals sneaked into the country.
“Kaya alam natin meron talagang gumagawa niyan sa Immigration. ‘Yun ang ating tinitignan ngayon,” a seemingly convinced Remulla added.
The Bureau of Immigration earlier claimed that Guo, her sister Shiela and illegal POGO incorporator Cassandra Li Ong left the country without passing through immigration authorities.
The same story was told by Shiela Guo who claimed that they used several boats to reach Malaysia from where they went to Singapore and finally to Indonesia where she and Ong were eventually arrested.
However, Remulla doesn’t seem convinced of their stories – “Hindi pa rin ako naniniwala na nag bangka sila at saka nag barko. Hindi ako naniniwala talaga. Kasi parang sine naman yun. Ano, natutulog sila sa lambat, nakahilata sila doon? Tatlong araw, apat na araw habang bumabyahe?” he said.
Interestingly, Remulla admitted that he has yet to talk with Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco about his suspicions.
‘Kasi nung nangyari ito, hindi naman niya ko sinabihan kaagad, eh. Marahil alam na niya na matagal yan bago namin nalaman. Kaya hindi na kami nag uusap ngayon. Hindi tama yung ganun klaseng asal na hindi mo ipapaalam sa DOJ Secretary yung nangyayari sa opisina mo,” an obviously pissed off DOJ chief continued.
Earlier in the day, Indonesian authorities arrested Alice Guo in Tangerang City. (ANGEL F. JOSE)
