Not 'lovers in POGO': Sual mayor Dong Calugay denies romantic, business relationship with Alice Guo
Sual, Pangasinan mayor Liseldo "Dong" Calugay categorically denied having a romantic and business relationship with dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo.
During the Senate inquiry on the alleged illegal activities of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operation hubs in Alice's town on Sept. 17, Sen. Joel Villanueva asked Calugay if he and Guo were "lovers in POGO."
Villanueva noted that in official photos, Calugay is wearing a shirt of Guo Hua Ping, Alice's alleged real identity as a Chinese national based on Philippine officials' investigation.
"May relasyon ba kayo ni Alice? Gusto mo ba siya?" the senator asked Calugay.
"Ay wala po, wala pong ganyan, your honor," the mayor said, to which Villanueva followed up with, "Hindi kayo lovers in POGO?"
"Ay hindi po," Calugay responded.
Villanueva then asked Calugay if he and Alice had a business partnership or shared bank accounts.
"Wala po, ni isa po," he said, adding he and Guo never planned on entering a business venture together.
Villanueva then asked if Calugay and Alice were "MU," and the mayor responded in the negative again.
'Couple shirt'
Senate Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada went back to the shirt, noting Calugay and Alice were spotted wearing the same shirt together, dubbing it a "couple shirt." He then showed Calugay the photos.
Calugay explained that he just bought it.
"Nagkataon lang po siguro, your honor," he said, to which Estrada asked if Alice had given it to him as a gift and vice versa. Calugay then said no.
Estrada showed more photos of Calugay and Alice wearing the same shirt, to which Calugay said, "Marami naman pong magkakaparehas na damit."
Estrada pressed Calugay to admit his alleged relationship with Alice, but didn't budge.
"Hindi naman po talaga, wala po kaming relasyon," Calugay said before Estrada turned to Alice and asked her about the shirt and their alleged romance.
"Hindi po," Alice said. "Hindi ko nga po alam na may ganoong picture."
Sen. Risa Hontiveros then asked Calugay to describe his relationship with Alice.
"Magkaibigan lang po," he said before Estrada asked anew, "Sigurado ka, kaibigan lang? Hindi ka-ibigan?"
"Kaibigan lang po," Calugay said.
Senators previously quizzed Alice about Calugay as the latter supposedly gave her a bouquet as seen in photos. She, however, stated that they're just friends.
Estrada also asked Alice about Alisel Aquafarm, which he noted was a portmanteau of Alice and Liseldo, but denied it.
Alice last appeared in the Sept. 9 hearing, which took place three months since her last one and days after her arrest in Indonesia.
In that hearing, she was cited in contempt anew after repeatedly refusing to answer senators' questions on how she escaped and who helped her.
Initially, Alice said she left the country via boats, one of which was a yacht, through a port in Metro Manila.
Senators grew impatient as Alice refused to give more information, claiming she has been receiving death threats.
Eventually, senators were able to convince her to write down the name of the individual who facilitated her escape. They didn't name the person publicly.
First encounter
Asked when he first met Alice, Calugay said it was in 2016 when he was still not a mayor. At the time, Alice also wasn't a mayor then but was running a pig farm business.
"Naghahanap po ako ng magsusupply ng baboy. Isa po siya sa napuntahan ko para mag-inquire ng mga presyo," he said.
Estrada then asked about when they last met, and Calugay said it was during the kasalang bayan.
Hontiveros then chimed in, asking how Calugay is connected to Duanren Wu and Cassandra Li Ong. Ong is Alice's alleged cohort who has ties to POGO hubs in Porac, Pampanga, while Wu is allegedly Ong's godfather and boss.
Hontiveros noted that Ong and Wu were seen in the photos during the kasalang bayan.
Calugay, however, denied having connections with them.
Same school bag project, Valentine's Day gift
Estrada asked whether Calugay and Alice distribute school bags to constituents, which they separately confirmed.
The senator showed photos that their respective projects have the same cartoon design and pink color, claiming they have the same supplier.
"Nagkataon lang po," Calugay said anew.
Estrada then confronted Calugay again about the bouquet he gave Alice, asking when was it.
"February 14 po, your honor," the mayor said. The day is the annual celebration of Valentine's Day.
"Ayun naman pala e! Wala kayong relasyon, ha?" a smiling Estrada said.
Calugay explained that it was an "invitation" to Alice for his kasalang bayan project, adding that he normally gives flowers to many people on Feb. 14.
Estrada then noted how special the bouquet was for Alice even as he claimed she's Calugay's "love."
"Hindi naman po love, your honor," he said. Estrada then asked if the mayor calls Alice "honey," to which he said, "Miss Alice."
Child?
Hontiveros, meanwhile, said a source informed them that Calugay's secretary, Cheryl Medina, said Alice is his girlfriend.
"Bukod pa diyan, kinuwento 'nyo pa raw sa kanila na may anak silang dalawa," Hontiveros asked Medina, who denied the source's claim.
Hontiveros reminded Medina that she's under oath, and the latter maintained her answer.
"Hindi lang kayo ang finafact find namin dito. Marami pa pong magsasalita, at kinocorroborate namin," she said.
Alleged POGO ties
Alice, her siblings Shiela and Wesley, as well as Ong, left the Philippines in the middle of the Senate probe on POGOs.
Shiela and Ong were apprehended in Batam City on Aug. 20 and brought back on Aug. 22.
Shiela got an arrest order from the Senate due to immigration violations. The NBI also found that Shiela is a Chinese citizen named Zhang Mier who "fraudulently acquired" a Philippine passport upon examining her fingerprints and other records.
Ong, meanwhile, is facing charges of obstruction of justice and violation of the passport law, as well as a contempt order from the House of Representatives. She's one of the key persons who could help the government investigate the illegal operations of Lucky South 99 in Porac, Pampanga.
Tarlac's Regional Trial Court Branch 109 on Sept. 5 issued a warrant of arrest against Alice in connection to the graft case filed against her by DILG.
The DILG filed a case against Alice for alleged violation of Section 3(e) and 3(h) of Republic Act No. 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. The bail is set at P90,000 each or a total of P180,000.
