By Bea Rollo
(September 27, 2024) — Former Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo pleaded not guilty on Friday to a qualified human trafficking case related to illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) activities, her legal counsel, Atty. Nicole Jamilla, confirmed.
Guo attended the arraignment via video conferencing before the Pasig Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 167, while her lawyer attended in person.
Following the arraignment, the court proceeded with the pre-trial, outlining case details and identifying witnesses. The pre-trial will resume on October 1.
In a statement, Jamilla expressed her client’s stance on the case, asserting that Guo is firm in her claim of innocence regarding the qualified trafficking charges.
“Syempre hindi siya guilty talaga kasi ang allegation is qualified human trafficking. So, no participation po talaga,” Atty. Jamilla stated.
“Pero on the part of our client is she is firm na not guilty po siya sa crime na pinaparatang sa kaniya,” she added.
Guo’s legal team is exploring options to transfer her back to the PNP Custodial Center due to security concerns, especially following her executive session with the Senate. However, Atty. Jamilla said that it seems unlikely that the court will grant their request, as the BJMP has assured that the former mayor is safe in Pasig City Jail.
Guo has also been permitted to undergo a thorough checkup due to her ongoing concerns about a suspected lung infection, despite previously testing negative for COVID-19 and sputum test for tuberculosis.
Meanwhile, the arraignment for the same case against Malaysian national and Guo’s co-accused, Walter Wong Long, did not proceed as scheduled.
“‘Di po natuloy ang arraignment dahil sa aming motion na pina-suspend po namin ‘yung proceedings kasi ang ginawa kahit hindi ka kasama sa preliminary investigation sa DOJ, sinama siya sa kaso. Nakakatakot po at nakakabahala po ang ginawa ng DOJ,” said Long’s legal counsel Atty. Christian Vargas.
He is currently detained at Tarlac Provincial Jail for a separate qualified human trafficking case related to illegal POGO activities.
(AAD)
(With reports from Ria Fernandez, News5)
Our Privacy Commitment
TV5 Network Inc. values and respects your privacy. We are committed to safeguarding your personal data in compliance with Republic Act No. 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and its implementing rules and regulations.
We have developed a Privacy Policy that adopts and observes appropriate standards for personal data protection. While our Privacy Policy sets out the general principles governing the collection, use, and disclosure of our users’ personal information, our Privacy Commitment seeks to inform you more about TV5’s privacy practices.
Why do we collect your personal information (as applicable)?
We may collect and maintain basic information about you as site user of TV5 sites for the following purposes:
Where do we get your personal information?
There are several ways we collect your personal information.
Information that you personally provided.
Most of the personal information we have are those that you have provided us when you:
Information we collect during your engagement with us
We also collect information as you use our products and services, like:
Information we collect from other sources
Other means of collection of information may be through:
When do we disclose personal information?
There may be instances when we are required to share the information you provided us. In such cases, we ensure that your personal information will be disclosed on a confidential manner, through secure channels and in compliance with the Data Privacy Act and other privacy laws.
We will never share, rent, or sell your personal information to third parties outside of TV5 except in special cases where you have given consent, and in cases described in our privacy policy.
In some instances, we may be required to disclose your personal information to our agents, subsidiaries, affiliates, business partners and other third-party agencies and service providers as part of our regular business operations and for the provision of our programs and services. This means we might share your information with our service providers, contractors, and professional advisers who help us provide our services.
How we protect your personal information
The integrity, confidentiality, and security of your information is important to us. We have implemented technical, organizational, and physical security measures that are designed to protect your information from unauthorized or fraudulent access, alteration, disclosure, misuse, and other unlawful activities.
We also put in effect the following safeguards:
TV5 will not collect, use, or disclose your personal information for any purpose other than the purpose that you may have given your consent for.
What are your choices?
We make sure that we have your consent to continue to collect, use, and disclose your personal information for the purposes that we have identified. We want you to know that you may object or withdraw your consent and/or edit your consent preferences at any time.
If you wish to have access to the personal information in our custody or if you think that the personal information you provided is incomplete, or otherwise inaccurate, you may get in touch with our Data Protection Officer through the contact details provided below. In some instances, we may request for supporting documents or proof before we effect requested changes.
Data Protection Officer
TV5 Network Inc.
Reliance corner Sheridan Streets
Mandaluyong City
tv5dataprivacy@tv5.com.ph
What happens when there are changes in our Policy?
From time to time, we may update our privacy policy and practices to comply with changes in applicable laws and regulatory requirements, adapt to new technologies and protocols, and align with the best practices of the industry.
You will be provided notices if the changes are significant and, if we are required by law, we will obtain your updated consent.