Pictures and videos of officials smiling and being friendly with dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo following her arrest did not sit well with critics.
However, it appears that even online users are no stranger to the “celebrification” of the controversial personality after edits of her “post-arrest face card” circulated all over Tiktok.
Filipinos online expressed outrage over a photo of Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. and Philippine National Police Chief General Rommel Marbil casually posing with Alice, who is linked to several cases of human trafficking and money laundering, despite having just been captured by Indonesian authorities last September 3.
RELATED: Alice Guo’s smiling expression after capture earns Pinoys’ attention
Among those who chided Abalos and Marbil’s seemingly carefree attitude toward Alice is Sen. Risa Hontiveros, a staunch critic of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).
“PAALALA lalo na sa mga kawani ng gobyerno: Si Alice Guo ay pugante. May kasong human trafficking. Hindi po yan celebrity,” Hontiveros said in a Facebook post.
The celebrification of Philippine politicians tends to arise due to the public’s “illusion of intimacy” with a personality that they often encounter in the mainstream media, according to a study from UP Diliman.
Aside from the photo, Abalos was also heard gently conversing with Alice during their meeting in Jakarta. Alice was escorted back to the Philippines via a private plane on early Friday morning, September 6, and underwent legal custody by the Bureau of Immigration.
Some noticed Abalos’ exchange with Guo and compared it on how other accused individuals are being treated.
“Pag ordinaryo na Pinoy, may shake hands at kwentuhan kaya mangyayari? Only in The Philippines 🇵🇭.. pera pera na lang talaga.. Senator @risahontiveros ginawa nang Celebrity ang [pugante] at may pa-private jet pa,” an online user wrote on X.
Others noticed that there are refreshments on the table.
Taray… may pa-sports drink, mineral water, candies pa. Alice Guo sakalam! pic.twitter.com/vzdOA9tyr5
— JM (@BaddictsPH) September 6, 2024
In his defense, Abalos believes that the accusation of him giving “special treatment” to Alice is “unfair.”
“That’s so unfair. Isipin niyo, all of these efforts, nagpunta kami ro’n nang hindi namin alam kung ihahabol namin yung ala una, naghanap kami ng eroplano, hindi na kami nagpahinga at wala kaming kasiguraduhan—what if hindi kami payagan? Tapos malamang puro kritisismo na inabot namin dito and yet nakuha namin [si Alice],” the Interior head said to reporters.
Guo-natics?
Contrary to some backlash, video platforms, especially TikTok, were charmed by Alice’s smiling expression.
Several video clips accompanied by sensual audios have portrayed Alice as the “girl crush” of netizens who seem to have giddily awaited her return to the country.
One user whose display name is “Alice’s wife” on Tiktok posted an edited clip of Alice meeting with National Bureau of Investigation agents. The video featured the song “Confident” by Justin Bieber while adding an excerpt from its lyrics, “hypnotized by the way she moves.”
The video has garnered over 67,800 likes and 402 comments so far.
“Umalis [nang] maganda, uuwi [nang] maganda,” a netizen commented.
Another TikTok user dubbed Alice as a “short-haired chinita with glasses” and made her an edit with the caption, “her face card never decline[s].” So far, the video has gained more than 105,200 likes and 619 comments.
Meanwhile, a less-viral edit inserted “Criminal” by Britney Spears audio while flashing mug shots and images of Alice in an orange t-shirt marked “detainee.” The lyric in the video goes, “Mama I’m in love with a criminal.”
This morning, September 6, authorities presented Alice wearing a detainee uniform from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group. According to Abalos, the former mayor was also in handcuffs covered by the white jacket she was holding.
In the press conference, Alice explained that the much-criticized smiling photo of her, Abalos and Marbil was because she “felt safe” despite receiving alleged death threats.
“May death threats, humingi ako ng tulong sa kanila. Masaya ako… I feel safe,” she said.
This afternoon, Hontiveros reacted to Alice’s response to the mounting criticism, saying that the dismissed mayor still “has a lot of explaining to do.”
“We want answers, NOT a photoshoot. Alice Guo, the FAKE Filipino, has a lot of explaining to do,” Hontiveros wrote in a Facebook post.
“Isang paalala rin sa ating mga kasamahan sa gobyerno, hindi dapat ginagawang social event ang pag-aresto sa isang puganteng sangkot sa patong-patong na kaso ng human trafficking, money laundering, fake identity, gross misconduct, illegal recruitment and detention, at corruption,” she added.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has ordered a ban on POGOs since July, however, said in a statement that the public should not be too critical of Alice and the government officials’ expressions in photos.
“Ang tawag nga sa Pilipinas, we are the selfie capital of the world, ‘di ba? Eh di nag-selfie. Hindi mo naman mapigilan ang mga tao na ngumiti. So they just had a selfie. I don’t think there’s much more to it than that,” Marcos said.
Alice fled the country in July amid a Senate investigation into her purportedly illegal activities of POGOs. The legislative body also issued an arrest order against her due to her repeated absences from the hearings.
