Gatchalian Slams Suspended Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo
ALICE GUO – Senator Sherwin Gatchalian slammed suspended Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo.
Suspended Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Guo is accused of alleged involvement in Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGO) in her town, but authorities currently cannot locate her.
On Saturday, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian criticized suspended Mayor Alice Guo for claiming that the Senate has a “fixation” on her while they investigate her citizenship and alleged POGO connections.
“I don’t think she should put too much premium on herself, this is in aid of legislation so we can help the country fight POGOs, fight people who abuse our system, and rid our government of people who lie about their past and their documents,” Gatchalian told ANC.
On Thursday night, Guo, who remains in hiding despite a Senate arrest order, posted a lengthy statement on Facebook, expressing her concern and questioning why Senators Win Gatchalian, Risa Hontiveros, and others seem fixated on her.
Guo also suggested that some politicians might be using her to boost their political ambitions.
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Gatchalian, who is leading the POGO investigation along with Hontiveros, said Guo is trying to divert attention because of the strong evidence against her.
“The bottomline here is Alice Guo is lying and she is evading the invitation of the Senate because she cannot give straight answers and evidence is just too strong. That’s why the bottomline is she is diverting attention,” Gatchalian stated.
Gatchalian dismissed Guo’s excuse of “stress and trauma” for skipping the Senate probe, noting that as an elected official, she must be accountable to the people.
“Once you enter public service, once you go into the public limelight, you have to be prepared to see a lot of criticisms… We have to be ready for that as public servant. That’s the reality of public service,” the lawmaker said.
Guo has a pending petition before the Supreme Court to block the Senate from compelling her attendance at their investigations.
Gatchalian expressed confidence that the Supreme Court would reject Guo’s petition, citing the “long-standing” tradition of respect among co-equal branches of government.
“There’s a long-standing tradition between co-equal branches of government and I’m very sure the SC will recognize that the Congress and Senate is a co-equal branch and it is mandated to conduct investigations in aid of legislation and we can invite resource persons to help us craft effective legislation,” Gatchalian said.
The Supreme Court has ordered Hontiveros’ panel to comment on Guo’s petition.