Comelec Speaks on Mayor Alice Guo amid Identity Issues
ALICE GUO – The Law Department of the Commission on Elections suggests the filing of material misrepresentation complaint against the suspended mayor.
Suspended Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo has yet to resurface amid a pending arrest order issued by the Senate. The authorities visited all her registered addresses in the pursuit of serving the arrest order but there was negative presence of the Mayor.
The authorities also visited her farm and her garments factories but failed to locate Guo. She is faced with accusations over her alleged involvement in the illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming operations in her town.
Mayor Guo is also being questioned about her identity. Her fingerprints matched with the fingerprints of Chinese national Guo Hua Ping according to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). The said Chinese national entered the country in 2003.
During the previous Senate hearings, Guo denied the accusations against her. She also maintained that she is a Filipino despite the inconsistencies in her testimonies and documents.
The suspended Mayor of Bamban, Tarlac skipped the June 26 and July 10 Senate hearings thus, she was cited for contempt. An arrest order was released against her and several other personalities including her siblings.
The Solicitor General’s office filed a quo warranto petition against Mayor Alice Guo. If granted, she may be ousted from office. Based on a report on ABS-CBN News, the the Law Department of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is also suggesting the filing of a material misrepresentation complaint against the suspended Mayor.
Comelec chairman George Garcia stressed the matching of the fingerprints of Guo in her voter’s registration with the fingerprints of Chinese national Guo Hua Ping. It suggests that they are one person based on the experts’ findings according to Garcia.
Based on the report, Mayor Alice Guo’s lawyer, Attorney Stephen David, tagged the move of the Comelec as “premature”. He stressed that the validity of Guo’s birth certificate is still an issue.
“So, paano sasabihin na nag-misrepresent siya na Filipino?” David said.
Guo has yet to surface despite calls from the NBI. Senate Pres. Chiz Escudero previously expressed his disappointment on the PNP not being able to locate Guo.