Alice Guo appeals suspension, calls accusations 'erroneous'

Suspended Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo on Thursday formally appealed her suspension, saying the complaints filed against her over her alleged links to the criminal activities of a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGOs) in her town are baseless. 

In a motion for reconsideration filed with the Office of the Ombudsman, Guo's camp said the accusations against her "are an amalgam of exceedingly distorted, exaggerated and fabricated stories viciously designed to hoodwink this Honorable Office that herein respondent committed grave misconduct, serious dishonesty, gross neglect of duty, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service."

"A perusal of the assailed Order, which is the only basis of Respondent Guo to file this instant Motion, would readily show that the complaint filed against her is founded on erroneous accusations. It bears to emphasize that the allegations found therein are based on misapprehension of facts and laws,” it added.

In a nine-page order dated May 31, Ombudsman Samuel Martires suspended Guo and two other local officials following the administrative complaint filed by Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary Juan Victor Llamas.

The DILG complaint accused Guo and the two other respondents of committing grave misconduct, serious dishonesty, gross neglect of duty and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.

Guo, whose nationality as a Filipino is being questioned by lawmakers, was found to be the incorporator of Baofu Land Development Inc., which owns the land where the raided POGO hub was located.

Guo's motion maintained that she was able to legally buy a land comprising of seven hectares, and that she also lawfully entered into contracts to sell with the original owners of the land and paid the same on an installment basis.

This, according to her motion, formed her share in the partnership forged to create Baofu Land Development, Inc.

Guo’s appeal also said that her act of divesting her share in Baofu to another person was a separate transaction from her act of selling her investment, which is the lot, to Baofu.

“Thus, it is a misconception that her act of divesting her shares is simulated because the consideration is grossly incongruent to her actual share in Baofu,” the motion said.

Guo earlier said that she will cooperate with the Ombudsman's investigation to clear her name.

Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra earlier said that the biggest question Guo has to answer is if she is indeed a Filipino citizen, given that her birth and parental lineage records are providing conflicting details of her origin.

A public official in the country, first and foremost, should be a Filipino citizen as provided by the Constitution. Filipino citizenship is acquired through birth; through having a Filipino citizen for a parent; or through naturalization. —KBK/BM, GMA Integrated News