The implications of Alice Guo's departure (Opinion MT)

[OnMyWay]

47 minutes ago, craftbeerlover said:

I doubt very very much they took a few fishing boats from central Luzon to Malaysia.   That story sounded like more BS, on top of an already huge pile of BS.

I just saw this.  It must be true.  Why would they lie? 

 

Shiela Guo, the sister of dismissed Bamban mayor Alice Guo, explained how she and her siblings left the Philippines amid the Senate investigation on the alleged illegal activities of POGO hubs, saying they were able to escape through a small white boat.

Shiela made the revelation during a Senate hearing on Tuesday, Aug. 27, a day after she had been detained there.

Sen. Risa Hontiveros asked Shiela how they left the country, to which the latter said, "Sakay po kami ng boat... sa dagat."

When asked about their exact location before leaving, Shiela said she didn't know.

Sen. Bato Dela Rosa then asked whether they were in Luzon or Mindanao, to which Shiela responded again in the negative. "Dito lang po... galing kasi kami sa bahay," Shiela said, without giving details. "Tapos may sundo sa amin na isang sasakyan."

Hontiveros asked what type of vehicle fetched them, and Shiela said it was a van. "Hindi ko alam saang lugar, pero bumiyahe kami [nang] ilang oras. Hindi ko masabi," she said.

When asked whether they traveled during daytime, Shiela said they did during the night and arrived around the undisclosed venue at midnight.

She was asked who fetched them and what the vehicle's plate number was, but Shiela again said she didn't know.

Shiela said there were three of them inside the van: her, Alice, and Wesley.

According to Shiela, they transferred to a larger vessel later on. She couldn't specify whether it was a passenger ship, cargo ship, or a private yacht, but assumed it was a fishing ship upon seeing nets.

Shiela said they moved to another boat but supposedly had difficulty recalling whether it was blue or green, before arriving in Malaysia.

Hontiveros tried asking whether the Guos went to Zambales, to which she displayed ignorance anew. "Di ko alam 'yung lugar e, 'di ko kabisado 'yung buong Pilipinas," she said.

Sen. Win Gatchalian asked where their house was, to which Shiela answered on their "farm" in Tarlac.

When asked for more details about the white boat, Shiela said up to 10 people could fit there but could not be mobile. The next boat can accommodate more, she said as Gatchalian gave an estimate of 100 passengers. "Marami po, marami," Shiela continued.

[scott h]

1 hour ago, Jack Peterson said:

Tell me a country that is so Different

Where is concerns situations as addressed in this topic, quite a few.

[Possum]

Having dealt with a few countries the most corrupt for me were Nigeria, Angola, Haiti, Mexico and Philippines because their corruption permeates all levels of government. Most other countries at least confined the corruption to the higher levels. Singapore was the least corrupt I worked in. I chose the most pleasant corrupt country to retire in with a low cost of living. Works for me though at times it is beyond annoying. Maintaining low expectations is a key to happiness.

[JJReyes]

There are no seaplanes or amphibian planes in the Philippines.  It seems to be a logical choice considering the large number of small islands.  The reason is to prevent citizens leaving the country unnoticed.  

[scott h]

7 hours ago, Possum said:

I chose the most pleasant corrupt country to retire in

Possum! I agree with you 100%! Same here (but I chose the wife, before the country lol). But once it is down in black and white, the above quote is so true that it is funny! coffee went up my nose when I read that lol 

[OnMyWay]

11 hours ago, JJReyes said:

There are no seaplanes or amphibian planes in the Philippines.  It seems to be a logical choice considering the large number of small islands.  The reason is to prevent citizens leaving the country unnoticed.  

There are commercial passenger seaplanes.

We used to have one that went Subic to Manila and people loved it.  It was relatively cheap and very quick.  The dock was not far from me, near Vasco's.  They shut down a few years back.

[GeoffH]

I was under the impression that there were only float planes not sea planes (sonetimes called flying boats)  used in the Philippines during recent times.

Do you know what type the seaplane was?

Edited September 2 by GeoffH

[JJReyes]

12 hours ago, OnMyWay said:

There are commercial passenger seaplanes.

We used to have one that went Subic to Manila and people loved it.  It was relatively cheap and very quick.  The dock was not far from me, near Vasco's.  They shut down a few years back.

Maybe a change of policy.  I recall they were banned during the Marcos martial law period.  

[baronapart]

On 9/1/2024 at 7:54 AM, Possum said:

Having dealt with a few countries the most corrupt for me were Nigeria, Angola, Haiti, Mexico and Philippines because their corruption permeates all levels of government. Most other countries at least confined the corruption to the higher levels. Singapore was the least corrupt I worked in. I chose the most pleasant corrupt country to retire in with a low cost of living. Works for me though at times it is beyond annoying. Maintaining low expectations is a key to happiness.

I travelled extensively in Ukraine and Russia from 2005 to 2017. Ukraine was by far the most corrupt country I have been to. Everything was fueled by bribes.

[Possum]

42 minutes ago, baronapart said:

I travelled extensively in Ukraine and Russia from 2005 to 2017. Ukraine was by far the most corrupt country I have been to. Everything was fueled by bribes.

I've heard that they are bad. I had to attend classes on the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, prohibits paying bribes to government officials, you can be jailed for that. But you simply won't operate in some countries without paying the bribes; had to use cut outs to hopefully not get caught. Small example. Angola would only issue a 30 day work visa and you had to turn in your passport after arrival to get it. I had a spare passport in case they changed the terms so at least I could get out. The USA will issue a second passport if you travel to some of these countries so you can at least get out while they try to extort more money. Brazil at one time was famous for that also. The UK anti bribery law is extremely tough.