President Bongbong Marcos defended officials who took selfies with dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo in Jakarta, Indonesia, despite backlash from lawmakers and netizens.
Critics argued that the officials treated Guo like a “celebrity” despite serious allegations against her, including involvement in human trafficking and illegal offshore gaming.
Marcos explained that taking selfies is part of Filipino culture, referring to the Philippines as the “selfie capital of the world.”
He downplayed the incident, saying, “You can’t stop people from smiling. They just took a selfie, nothing more.”
On the issue of Guo’s involvement with POGOs (Philippine offshore gaming operators), Marcos emphasized the need for her to explain how these operations grew so large under her watch.
He expressed skepticism, noting it’s hard to believe she was unaware of such significant illegal activities happening near her office.
Marcos also questioned how Guo accumulated her wealth and became mayor despite being relatively unknown in her area.
