SolGen looking into Mayor Guo case

Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra on Wednesday said that his office may file a quo warranto petition questioning the right of Bamban Mayor Alice Guo to hold public office if it finds a possible reason to do so. 

According to Guevarra, the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) is now gathering relevant information on the case of Guo, who is being investigated for alleged involvement in an illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operation (POGO) hub and whose identity as a Filipino is being questioned.

“If there is good reason to believe that the subject unlawfully holds or exercises a public office, the OSG may commence action on its own. More specifically, a petition for quo warranto,” Guevarra told GMA Integrated News.

According to the Supreme Court, a quo warranto proceeding is a legal remedy to determine a person's right or title to a public office and to oust the holder from its enjoyment.

Senator Risa Hontiveros has questioned Guo’s identity as a Filipino citizen, saying the mayor has no official records to prove she is a Filipino, and went as far as to ask whether the official was a Chinese citizen.

Guo, for her part, said many individuals have been asking who she was since 2022. She said that she was a Filipino citizen during her proclamation rally.

Comelec

Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman George Garcia earlier said the OSG may file a quo warranto petition.

“Sa batas po natin, ang OSG ang pwedeng mag file ng tinatawag ng petition for quo warranto,” Garcia said.

He also said that the citizenship of an individual may be raised “anytime.”

According to Garcia, Comelec no longer has jurisdiction over the matter as Guo is already an elected official. He said their jurisdiction only ranges from the filing of the certificate of candidacy (COC) until proclamation.

Garcia’s remark was echoed by former Comelec commissioner Gregorio “Goyo” Larrazabal in a separate interview on Kapihan sa Manila Bay.

“You can file a quo warranto,” Larrazabal said.

“Kasi when you file a COC and when you win, the qualifications you possess as a voter and as an elected official have to be maintained. If you lose one of the qualifications, continuing qualification ‘yan,” he added.

Apart from her identity, Guo is also being scrutinized in relation to the raided Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub in Bamban, Tarlac in March.

Guo has denied involvement in the operations of the POGO hub.

Omnibus Election Code

Meanwhile, Larrazabal said it was “high time” to revise the Omnibus Election Code. 

“It’s high time, kasi yung ibang laws doon 80's pa, diba? So we have to update it to jive with the times,” he said.

He said that Filipino citizens should also be more vigilant.

“People are given opportunities… to question the applicants. Ang problema lang is no one really cares. Unless, of course, yung tingin mo yung tao tatakbo sa next election. So it’s up to the citizenry also to be more vigilant. But I guess that’s easier said than done,” he said.

Meanwhile, Garcia advised the public to be vigilant not only when individuals file their COC but also during voter registration.

Garcia said no one opposed the voter registration of Guo in April 2021.

“Hindi naman makakapag rehistro ang foreigner sa atin po eh. Dapat doon pa lang sa pagpaparehistro alerto na tayo. Bakit parang may stranger na biglang may dumako dito sa atin. Para namang hindi naman talaga ito Pinoy,” he said. —VAL, GMA Integrated News