Guo was arrested in Jakarta on September 3 and was returned to Manila on Friday morning.
Indonesian media previously reported that Jakarta had proposed exchanging Guo for a high-profile Australian drug suspect, Gregor Haas, who is also wanted in Indonesia.
"There was no exchange," Marcos said, noting that the news about the prisoner exchange was just informal reports from Indonesian media.
"It's not official, so no. But I can explain that Guo Huaping's return was not simple. In fact, we have been negotiating very complex, very sensitive, and very delicate details for about the past 48 hours," he said.
Marcos mentioned that maintaining contact with Indonesian officials helped facilitate Guo's transfer.
"Since I visited other countries, including Indonesia, and I have a close relationship with President Jokowi, this became a factor," he said.
"So although the transfer process was not simple, we were still able to make a request to our friends in Indonesia to let the Philippines handle this matter and send Guo back to the Philippines," Marcos said.
Meanwhile, Marcos expressed his desire to hear how Guo would describe the expansion of the operations of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) in Bangban City.
"I want to hear her elaborate on how these POGOs have become so large, which is basically a criminal act," he said.
"As a mayor, she said she was unaware of these happenings, which is hard to believe," he said.
Marcos stated that Guo has many questions to answer, including how she acquired her wealth and her position.
"All these questions have actually been asked by the House and the Senate. I just hope she can answer better than her associates, like Cassandra Ong and Shiela Guo, whose responses were very evasive," he said.
"If she avoids questions, it doesn't help her at all. If she doesn't tell the truth, her problems will only become more severe," he said.
Photo Controversy
Meanwhile, Marcos defended Philippine officials and authorities who were criticized for taking photos with Guo.
"I think this is just a new culture now, people always take photos and then post them—'Look, I'm part of the team that arrested her,' it's quite common," Marcos said.
"You can't stop someone from smiling. So they just took a selfie. I think it's just that they took a selfie," he said.
Guo Still Detained at PNP
Meanwhile, Guo will continue to be detained at the Philippine National Police (PNP), as the Tarlac court approved her lawyer's request to maintain the status quo.
PNP spokesperson Colonel Fahardo in Camp Crame, Quezon City, told reporters that the court approved their "verbal request."
"The court approved their request to continue Guo's detention under PNP, and they (Guo's lawyers) indicated they would not be posting bail for now," she added.
She also mentioned that they are investigating claims by Guo of receiving death threats.
Fahardo also defended Interior Minister Benjamin Abalos Jr. and PNP Chief Rommel Francisco Marbil, saying the photos taken with Guo were just for documentation purposes.
"We shouldn't take it too seriously, but if someone feels upset, we apologize. I think it's normal for anyone to smile when being photographed, but it doesn't necessarily mean the photos have malicious intent," she added.
