'Fake identity' won't affect cases vs Alice Guo —DOJ

The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Saturday said the recent findings that Bamban Mayor Alice Guo and Chinese passport holder Guo Hua Ping have matching fingerprints will not affect the cases filed against her.

“Nag-file na ng criminal cases against Alice Guo. There’s also been chatter about ‘yung fake identity niya… ‘Di naman ‘yan makakaapekto sa kanyang mga kaso,” DOJ spokesperson and Assistant Secretary Jose Dominic "Mico" Clavano IV said on the sidelines of a news forum in Quezon City.

(Criminal cases have already been filed against Alice Guo. There's also been chatter about her fake identity. That won't affect her cases.)

This week, Senator Risa Hontiveros, as confirmed by the National Bureau of Investigation, revealed that the Bamban mayor and Guo Hua Ping are the same person following finding that they have matching fingerprints.

“In fact, magkakaroon pa siya ng ibang liability kung mahanap na stolen identity ang ginagamit niya ngayon,” Clavano said.

(In fact, she will have another liability if it will be confirmed that she is using a stolen identity.)

Hontiveros earlier bared another document from the NBI showing a picture of another woman with the name Alice Leal Guo.

Guo, along with others involved in the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub in Bamban, are facing human trafficking charges.

The Bamban town mayor is also facing graft charges filed by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

Guo’s lawyers submitted a letter to the office of the Executive Secretary to explain her side amid accusations against her, including the alleged involvement with the BAOFU Land Development, Inc., espionage, human trafficking, kidnapping, and money laundering.

Calvano said Guo cannot be deported as she is already charged with criminal cases in the Philippines.

“That serves as a hindrance or a bar for the deportation of the suspended mayor,” he said.

Guo is at the center of the Senate investigation into the raided POGO hub in Bamban, Tarlac after several documents showed that she was personally involved in the processing of documents for its operations.

Guo is also suspected to be part of a criminal syndicate operated by Chinese nationals. —KG, GMA Integrated News