Alice Guo lawyer denies lying about her whereabouts

The lawyer of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo on Friday denied that he made untruthful statements regarding her whereabouts.

“The media can attest to the fact that in all my interviews, I consistently say that I am fully relying on what my client has told me," Atty. Stephen David, Guo’s legal counsel, said in a statement.

“In other words, I was merely echoing her declaration that she is still in the country,” he added.

When Senator Risa Hontiveros bared that Guo, also identified as Chinese national Guo Hua Ping, left the country as early as July, David said that Guo told him she was still in the country.

David, however, admitted that he cannot confirm the information and has no idea where she is exactly.

“I relied on our client's representations and disclosures in good faith, trusting in the accuracy and honesty of the information provided for the purpose of defending and/or protecting their causes and rights,” he said.

Aside from this, David said that when he made the pronouncements, Guo had no travel records such as stamps of entry in another country, fingerprints, or CCTV footage.

Due to this, he said he had no reason to doubt Guo’s statements.

‘Confidence in integrity of notary public’

Meanwhile, David expressed confidence in the integrity of Atty. Elmer Galicia, the notary public that notarized Guo’s counter-affidavit even though she was supposedly out of the country.

“We put our confidence in his integrity and we believed in the regularity in the notarization of the document. This bolstered my belief that our client was still then in the country,” he said.

David said he issued the remark amid statements by officials that cases may be filed against him because of his statements.

“With that, I, as an officer of the court, would also like to respectfully request  some public officials to refrain from making public declarations imputing someone from committing a crime without concrete proof, as this may be an act punishable by law,” he said.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla previously said that the Department of Justice will look into the possibility that Guo’s legal counsels may be involved in her exit.

“[L]et me reiterate that as much as lawyers have an obligation to protect the interests of their clients, they also have a broader responsibility to uphold the Rule of Law and safeguard public interest,” Remulla had said.

The DOJ is also seeking to investigate Galicia for notarizing Guo’s counter-affidavit even though she did not personally swear before him.

Guo's purported sister, Shiela Guo, has confirmed that they left the Philippines via several boats.

The BI said that Guo was reported to be in Jakarta as of August 26.

Guo is facing a human trafficking complaint in relation to the raided POGO hub before the Department of Justice. She has asked the DOJ to dismiss the complaint, saying that the complainants failed to establish her participation in the crime of human trafficking.

A petition seeking to remove Guo from office has also been filed before a Manila court.

Guo has repeatedly said that she is a Filipino citizen. — RSJ/VBL, GMA Integrated News