Sen. Hontiveros Speaks on Departure of Alice Guo amid Hold Departure Order
ALICE GUO – The dismissed Mayor of Bamban, Tarlac has left the Philippines according to Senator Risa Hontiveros.
The Senate issued an arrest order against Mayor Guo more than a month ago but the authorities failed to locate her. They visited all the registered addresses of the dismissed Mayor but there was negative presence.
The upper chamber released an arrest order after citing her for contempt for skipping two (2) Senate hearings over her alleged involvement in the Philippine Offshore Gaming operations in her town. Guo’s camp claimed that she’s traumatized.
Guo is also facing questions about her identity. The NBI or the National Bureau of Investigation previously said that Guo’s fingerprints matched with the fingerprints of Guo Hua Ping, a Chinese national that entered the country in 2003.
The matching of the fingerprints suggested that they are the same person — amid Guo having a Birth Certificate stating that she’s a Filipino. The Office of the Solicitor General filed a quo warranto petition that challenged her eligibility for public office.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) also filed a material mispresentation case against Guo. In previous posts, she stood by her claim that she is innocent from the accusations against her.
The office of the Ombudsman recently ordered the dismissal of Alice Guo as mayor of Bamban, Tarlac. The Ombudsman also ruled for the forfeiture of all her retirement benefits.
Dismissed Mayor Alice Guo is also facing a P500,000 tax evasion case filed by the BIR (Bureau of Internal Revenue). However, recently, Sen. Risa Hontiveros announced during a Senate session that Guo has left the Philippines.
Based on a report on ABS-CBN News, Sen. Hontiveros said that Guo has left the country on July 17. She flew to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia the next day. She allegedly went to Singapore after to meet with her father, Chinese mother, and brother Wesley Guo. The Senator presented documents that support the dismissed Mayor’s departure.
“Sino ang may kagagawan nito? Hindi makakaalis si Alice Guo kung walang tumulong sa kanya na mga opisyales ng pamahalaan. Para tayong ginisa sa sarili nating mantika,” the Senator said.
However, based on the report, Justice Undersecretary Nicholas said that based on what they know, the dismissed Mayor is still in the Philippines. He stressed that there were no reports of attempted departure and she filed a motion for her case in DOJ last Friday.
Nicholas stressed that they are currently awaiting the verification of the NBI on the veracity of the documents. Sen. Raffy Tulfo raised the possibility that Guo could have used a private plane.