Guo camp on supposed 'stolen identity' claim: Let's find out in court

The camp of suspended Bamban Mayor Alice Guo on Thursday said they will answer all the allegations against her, including supposed identity theft, in the proper forum. 

This, as Guo's camp neither denied nor confirmed a document from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) showing a picture of another woman with the name Alice Leal Guo who had the same information as the suspended mayor.

“Hindi ko naman sinasabing totoo yan, hindi ko rin sinasabing mali yan. Kaya lang, sa amin kasi, may proseso kami ng pag-vavalidate ng mga dokumento. Kapag i-presenta mo ‘yan sa husgado, ie-examine natin mabuti ‘yan kung valid ‘yan, may due execution, at saka genuine ang mga dokumento,” said Guo's lawyer, Atty. Stephen David in an interview on Unang Balita.

(I’m not saying that it’s true, I’m not saying that it’s wrong. But, for us, there’s a process in validating documents. If you present it in court, it will be examined thoroughly if it is valid, if there is due execution, and if there is genuinely such a document.)

“Kung ifa-file nila ‘yun, haharapin namin ‘yan sa proper forum. Mahirap lang kasi kung puro public trial ang nangyayari. Wala pang mga ebidensyang na ipresenta eh, eh na co-convict na ‘yung client ko,” David added.

(If they file it, we will answer them in the proper forum. It’s difficult if everything is a public trial. They have yet to present the evidence, but my client is already convicted.)

During Wednesday's senate probe, Hontiveros questioned whether it was a coincidence that the mayor shared the same birthday and birthplace as the woman or if it was a case of stolen identity.

David, however, said that he believes that the document may have been manipulated. 

“Alam mo naman ngayon, hindi mo maiiwasan yung mga photoshops yung mga ganyan so napaka aga pa para mag comment kami sa mga ganyang dokumento,” he added.

(You can’t avoid photoshop so it’s too early for us to comment on such documents.)

When asked about the Guo indicating “Wen Yi Lin Leal” as her mother’s maiden name in opening one of her bank accounts, David reiterated that they may face the allegations in court.

“Mabuti pa kung isasampa nila ‘yan, eh doon na natin siguro masasagot kasi baka meron talagang ganyan diba? HIndi natin alam, di 'ba? So, mas maganda yan maliwanagan tayo sa husgado,” he said.

(It will be good if they file this, and then we can answer it. There could be really something like this, right? We don’t know. So it’s better if we can explain in court.)

Guo previously claimed that she was her father's love child with their helper Amelia, has refuted allegations that her real mother was Chinese citizen Wen Yi Lin.

PAOCC and NBI

In a separate interview, Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) spokesperson Winston Casio said they are now coordinating with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) regarding the matter. 

“Kaya nakikipag ugnayan po kami sa NBI Director para magtanong kung papaano ba nangyayari yung mga ganon at kung meron ngang ganon, paano natin mako-correct,” Casio told Super Radyo dzBB.

(We are coordinating with the NBI Director to ask how it happened and if it is true, how can we correct it.)

“At saka syempre importante paano ma-check yung kanilang database baka meron pang iba na katulad,” he added.

(And, of course, it’s important to check their database to see if there are other similar cases.)

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

Her citizenship was also questioned due to her inconsistent testimonies about her background and the supposed dubious documents regarding her Filipino citizenship.

She was unable to attend Wednesday’s hearing as she was "sick and stressed,” according to her lawyer.

The Senate has issued a subpoena for her and some of her family members for her absence. 

Meanwhile, The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) has already endorsed to the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) the cancellation of Guo's certificate of live birth (COLB). —VAL, GMA Integrated News