Claim: Senator Risa Hontiveros introduced textbook scam suspect Mary Ann Maslog as a resource person in the Senate hearings on dismissed Bamban mayor Alice Guo to weave a story about the case.
Rating: FALSE
Why we fact-checked this: The TikTok video bearing the claim was posted on October 10 and has 342,900 views, 4,819 likes, 1,234 comments, and 375 shares as of writing. It was reposted on X (formerly Twitter) the same day, garnering another 90,900 views, 216 likes, and 45 comments.
In the X post, the poster said: “Straight from the horse’s mouth: ‘Pinilit namin mabuo ang kwento’ (We tried to build the story).”
The video shows Hontiveros explaining why Maslog was invited to the Senate investigations on Guo and her alleged ties to Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs). She is then shown saying, “Pinipilit naming mabuo ‘yung kwento” (We are exhausting efforts to complete the story).
The bottom line: The TikTok video used spliced quotes from Hontiveros’ press conference on October 10 to make it seem that the senator is creating a narrative on the Guo case. In the transcript of the press conference, Hontiveros said they are trying to complete the full story of POGOs in the Philippines and Guo’s involvement amid all the supposed facts brought up in the ongoing investigations. (READ: The saga of POGOs and Alice Guo)
The first part of the TikTok video shows the senator responding to questions on how and why Maslog was invited as a resource person for the October 8 Senate hearing after claiming that the Philippine police’s intelligence group allegedly “tapped” her to help with Guo’s arrest in Indonesia last September. This corresponds to the 14:58 timestamp of the press conference video.
The TikTok video then uses a short clip of Hontiveros saying senators are doubting Maslog’s statements (17:40 in the original video).
The last part of the TikTok video was only a portion of Hontiveros’ answer to a question on whether the Senate hearings would focus on Senator Ronald dela Rosa’s allegations that Maslog was being used to implicate himself, former president Rodrigo Duterte, and his allies in the POGO controversies.
Hontiveros’ full answer can be found at the 18:48 mark:
“Yun yung isa sa maraming ‘di umanong facts na itinatapon sa buong diskusyon na na-generate ng imbestigasyong ito at aming sasalain alin ang mukhang totoo, alin ang mukhang hindi totoo, regardless kung sino-sino ang nagsabi para kahit maingay na maingay ang isyung ito, sa katahimikan ng collective na pag-iisip namin sa komite, yun na nga, pipilitin naming mabuo ‘yung kuwento. Ano ba talaga ‘yung kuwento ng POGO dito sa Pilipinas? Ang kuwento ni Guo Hua Ping sa POGO sa Pilipinas, ang kuwento ng mga taong naging kasosyo niya, nagprotekta sa kanya, tumulong sa kanyang tumakas, regardless of sinong nagsasabi ng ano sa ngayon.”
(That is one of the many alleged facts that are being thrown out in the whole discussion generated by this investigation and we will filter out which ones seem to be true, which ones don’t seem to be true, regardless of who said it so that even if this issue is generating buzz, in the silence of the committee’s collective thinking, we will try to complete the story. What is the story of POGO here in the Philippines? The story of Guo Hua Ping and POGO in the Philippines, the story of the people who were her partners, protected her, helped her escape, regardless of who is saying what at the moment.)
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Maslog’s involvement: During the Senate hearing, Dela Rosa claimed “someone from Malacañang is instructing” Maslog to get Guo to sign an affidavit to implicate Duterte and his allies in illegal POGO operations. Maslog denied this.
Senators have also expressed doubt over Maslog’s credibility. Maslog, who used Jessica Francisco as her alias, was implicated in the 1998 textbook scam case. She evaded charges by faking her death in November 2019 and escaping to the United States.
Debunked: Rappler has already published several fact-checks on claims surrounding Guo and POGO issues:
- FACT CHECK: Alice Guo not pregnant with Apollo Quiboloy’s baby
- FACT CHECK: Video of Alice Guo, Abalos, and Marbil ‘hugging’ is AI-manipulated
- FACT CHECK: No immigration officials identified in Alice Guo’s PH exit
- FACT CHECK: Alice Guo is not dead
– Kyle Marcelino/Rappler.com
Kyle Marcelino is a graduate of Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program. This fact check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program here.
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