BOI source, document confirm Guo Hua Ping a dependent of investor visa holder

Guo Hua Ping, the Chinese passport holder whom Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian believes is the same person as Bamban Mayor Alice Guo, is registered with the Board of Investments as a dependent of Special Investor Resident Visa holder Lin Wenyi.

This was confirmed to GMA News Online by a source and a document obtained from the BOI.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source told GMA News Online that records from the investment promotion agency confirm there is a Guo Hua Ping registered as a dependent of Lin Wenyi, the principal applicant for SIRV.

“Totoong may ganoong tao na dependent ng isang SIRV holder. So ang nakalagay doon si Guo Hua Ping,” the source said.

“Sa record ng BOI, mayroong Guo Hua Ping na registered dependent since 1999," the source added.

(There is such a person who is a dependent of an SIRV holder. The name indicated is Guo Hua Ping. In the records of the BOI, there is a Guo Hua Ping who is a registered dependent since 1999.)

The source said that the BOI is not the proper agency to determine whether or not Guo Hua Ping and Mayor Alice Guo are the same.

Sought for comment following the latest development, Guo's lawyer Atty. Nicole Jamilla said the local official continued to deny the allegation about Guo Hua Ping.

“Mayor Alice's statement remains the same and she denies that allegation," Jamilla told GMA News Online.

The source shared a briefer prepared by the BOI detailing Guo Hua Ping’s records with the agency.

The BOI document confirmed that Guo Hua Ping is the daughter of Lin Wenyi and was included as a dependent in Lin Wenyi’s SIRV application in 1999.

Apart from Guo Hua Ping, Lin Wenyi also included two of her children as dependents in her SIRV application.

“Her [Lin Wenyi] application was approved based on submitted documentary requirements which included birth certificates, police clearance, physical/mental health certificates, Certificate of Inward Remittance of $75,000, and proof of her investment in Triumph Embroidery Center, Inc., formerly known as Hua Fei Embroidery Center, Inc., located in Valenzuela,” according to the BOI paper.

In 2003, Lin Wenyi and her dependent’s SIRV status was revalidated “based on the investment requirements and relevant documentation provided.”

“Their revalidation application included all necessary documentation, such as valid Chinese passports, an Alien Certificates of Registration, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC registration, and a copy of the certificate of inward remittance of $75,000 issued by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) on September 29, 1999,” the BOI said.

The investment promotion agency clarified that its role was only to review and endorse the SIRV application to the Bureau of Immigration (BI) —the main agency responsible for the final issuance of the Visa. 

“The BOI endorsed the application, and subsequently, the BI issued the approval order and affixed the SIRV in sticker form on the passports, which was then released by the BOl to the applicants,” it said.

In 2011, the agency said that Lin Wenyi and her dependents' SIRVs, including that of Guo Hua Ping, were canceled.

“This cancellation, as requested by Ms. Lin Wenyi, was part of a process to transition to a Special Retiree's Resident Visa (SRRV), which was applied for and approved under separate qualifications and procedures,” the BOI document said.

The agency said it “was not involved in any capacity concerning the SRRV application or the subsequent immigration status of Ms. Lin Wenyi and her dependents.”

Moreover, the BOI said the “name of Alice Guo does not appear in any BOI documents related to this visa process.”

The name of Guo Hua Ping, a Chinese passport holder, recently came to light after Gatchalian alleged that the foreigner is the same person as Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo.

Citing records of Guo family’s application for an SIRV from the BOI, Gatchalian is convinced that Guo Hua Ping is now Bamban’s mayor, who is at the center of a controversy about a raided Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub in her town.

Documents presented by the senator showed that Guo Hua Ping entered the Philippines on January 12, 2003, when she was still 13 years old.

The Bamban town mayor’s camp has denied her involvement with Guo Hua Ping, insisting she is a Filipino citizen.

Guo is at the center of the Senate investigation into the raided Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) hub in Bamban after several documents showed that she was personally involved in the processing of documents for its operations.

Guo's citizenship was also questioned due to her inconsistent testimonies about her background and the supposed doubtful documents that could prove that she is a true Filipino. —NB, GMA Integrated News