Ben Madilynn
DISMISSED Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo will still seek reelection in the 2025 midterm polls amid detention and controversies over her alleged involvement in illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (Pogo).
In an interview with reporters, Guo’s legal counsel Lawyer Stephen David said the embattled former mayor is set to file her certificate of candidacy (COC) on Tuesday, October 8, the last day of filing COC.
David maintained that amid the charges being faced by Guo, which include questions about her nationality, there is no final court verdict yet.
“Maka-cancel ba ‘yun? ‘Di ba? She’s a Filipino, she’s a Filipina, so wala namang decisions ang courts as of now na hindi siya Filipino,” David said.
(Will that be canceled? Right? She’s a Filipino, she’s a Filipina, so there are no court decisions as of now that say she is not Filipino.)
“Kasi right now, maraming negative publicity. Marami rin nagsi-symphatize. Marami din naman siyang nagawang mabuti sa bayan ng Bamban. Marami pa rin nagmamahal sa kanya… So ‘yun ang pakiusap ko. Kung bigyan siya ng pagkakataon para malaman naman ng bayan, e, siya ba ay karapat-dapat manalo o hindi,” he added.
(Because right now, there’s a lot of negative publicity. Many people are sympathizing with her. She has also done a lot of good for the town of Bamban. There are still many who love her… So that’s my request. If she could be given a chance for the people to know whether she deserves to win or not.)
Guo is detained at the Pasig City Jail over charges of human trafficking in relation to her alleged involvement in the raided illegal Pogo hub in Bamban, which resulted in the apprehension of hundreds of undocumented foreign workers, especially Chinese.
She is also facing a quo warranto petition filed by the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) before the Manila Regional Trial Court for unlawfully holding a position and illegally exercising the duties and responsibilities of the office of the mayor of Bamban, Tarlac.
The OSG also argued that Guo is not a Filipino citizen but a Chinese national, which makes her ineligible to run for any elective public office.
They claimed she has committed acts that, under the provisions of law, constitute grounds for the forfeiture of her office, and that she has engaged in acts of serious dishonesty that, under the local government code, warrant her removal from office.
The said petition was filed after the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) ruled, following a fingerprint examination, that she is one and the same person as Chinese national Guo Hua Ping, which she vehemently denied.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) also lodged a complaint against her for allegedly misrepresenting herself, particularly about her nationality and other personal information, when she filed her certificate of candidacy for the 2022 local elections.
In August, the Office of the Ombudsman ordered Guo’s dismissal from the service after she was found guilty of grave misconduct, for which she was meted the penalty of dismissal from the service with forfeiture of all her retirement benefits and perpetual disqualification from reentering government service.
Guo may still appeal the Ombudsman’s decision before the Supreme Court or the Court of Appeals.
While these cases have yet to be resolved, Comelec chairperson George Erwin Garcia said in an interview on Saturday, October 5, that they will accept Guo’s COC, but it is more likely that she will be disqualified unless she secures a temporary restraining order (TRO).
“Kapag ang isang tao na-perpetually disqualified to hold public office dahil may decision of the Office of Ombudsman, ika-cancel po ang candidacy niya kahit pa ‘yung taong ‘yan ay naka-appeal sa Court of Appeals (CA), unless mag-issue ng TRO ang CA doon sa kanyang kaso sa Office of the Ombudsman,” Garcia said.
(When a person is perpetually disqualified from holding public office due to a decision from the Office of the Ombudsman, their candidacy will be canceled even if that person has filed an appeal with the CA, unless the CA issues a temporary restraining order regarding their case with the Office of the Ombudsman.)
“Kapag nag-file, sana maunawaan po lang, ‘pag nag-file, no choice po ang Comelec kundi tanggapin ang filing ng COC… Huwag po mag-alala ang lahat sapagkat kung talaga naman na pupuwede kaagad na i-disqualify o i-cancel ang candidacy ng isang personalidad o isang tao ay kaagad naman po naming gagawin ‘yan,” he added.
(When someone files, please understand that the Comelec has no choice but to accept the filing of the COC. Everyone should not worry because if someone can indeed be disqualified or have their candidacy canceled immediately, we will do that right away.)
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla also vowed to shoot down Guo’s candidacy.
“She can try, but I wouldn’t say it’s her right. Because she’s not Filipino, and she bears falsified documents,” Remulla said. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)
