When arrested, Guo was calm and composed, even joking and laughing with her pursuers, and took selfies with a smile; this shows she is no ordinary woman but a seasoned politician. After being detained, she told the Minister of the Interior, Amilros, that she faced death threats.
Guo's behavior led some to suspect she might be a Chinese spy, well-trained to handle pressure; however, her involvement in illegal online gambling in China, suspected of fraud, and not fleeing to China, makes it unlikely. Senator Leshun's claim that she is a well-trained Chinese spy, running for public office to access national secrets, seems exaggerated. Why would China send a spy to run a fraudulent online gambling operation and harm its own people? What secrets could the Philippines have that couldn't be obtained more directly through bribery?
Her secretive escape, however, confirms she has secrets and suggests she is fleeing from guilt, which is a major suspicion. She should have fled to a Latin American country with no extradition treaty with the Philippines, disguised and anonymous, making her untraceable. In today's surveillance-filled society, escaping is challenging, especially with mobile phone tracking.
According to senators, a Chinese woman who immigrated to the Philippines at seventeen, speaking fluent Filipino and becoming a community leader in her thirties with a vast fortune, needs to clarify whether her wealth comes from online fraud or legitimate business. As a public official, she must explain this clearly.
Her claim of being threatened is still unconfirmed, and the case is expected to become clearer as more details emerge.
Currently facing over a hundred charges, if convicted, she faces thousands of years in prison, a grim prospect. Despite her wealth, Guo is unable to enjoy it, now trapped in prison, aging alone and in despair, regretting her involvement in illegal online gambling. Now, she adopts a delaying tactic, but no matter her arguments, convincing others is difficult without honest disclosure.
Watching the Senate hearing videos, Guo, although respectful, was evasive and insisted she was Filipino, denying being the Chinese national Guo Huaping; senators were relentless, questioning her escape and government assistance, but she gave vague and evasive answers, claiming reliance on a Chinese national's help, leaving many questions unanswered. Senator Hongdi Belos, known for her anti-China stance, was so angered she proposed charging Guo with contempt of the Senate and detaining her.
A Chinese woman elected as a small community leader in the Philippines, causing such a sensation, shows the changed status of the Chinese community today, but her involvement in online gambling tarnishes this. If she were truly a Filipino-Chinese not involved in illegal activities, we could have supported her candidacy for senator or higher office.
Billionaire community leader, stirring political storms in the Thousand Islands,
Mysterious identity, online gambling fraudster?
Fled abroad and hid, now detained back home for trial,
Causing a national sensation, headline news spreading wide.
Originally published in "Philippine Business Journal"
Quan Yuan Sen
