Comelec law dep't ordered to submit recommendations on Alice Guo case

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has instructed its law department to submit recommendations on the case of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo next week, Chairperson George Erwin Garcia said Thursday.

Garcia said the poll body has not received a counter-affidavit from Guo’s camp as of September 5. The poll body extended the period for the filing of the counter-affidavit anew due to inclement weather.

“Wala pong na-file. Walang pumunta samin para mag-file ng counter-affidavit…Therefore ang naging decision ng law department ay submitted for resolution ‘yung kaso. Ibig sabihin, terminated na po ang preliminary investigation upang ang law department ay makapag-submit sa Comelec en banc ng kanilang recommendation sa kung paano ang tatahakin ng kaso,” Garcia said in an ambush interview. 

(No counter-affidavit has been filed. Therefore, the law department submitted the case for resolution, meaning the preliminary investigation has been terminated so that the law department can now submit its recommendation to the Comelec en banc on how the case should move forward.)

“Kanina lamang…sinabi ko dapat by next week meron nang pag-uusapan ang en banc na recommendation nila...Ito ay normal na proseso lang at therefore, napakabilis naman sigurong gawin ang recommendation,” he added. 

(I said that the en banc will discuss their recommendation next week. It's a normal process, and I think drafting a recommendation won't take too much time.)

On Monday, Garcia said the poll body had not received the dismissed mayor’s counter-affidavit despite the September 1 deadline. The Comelec earlier approved her camp’s request to extend the period for the filing of the counter-affidavit on the subpoena.

“Ang proseso di nakadepende sa development sapagkat nung pumunta sa amin ang abogado at nag-file ng motion for extension, tinatanggap nila na sila ay duly served ng subpoena…at ang Comelec ay may jurisdiction sa pagkatao ni Alice Guo,” he said.

(The process didn't depend on the development because when the lawyer came to us and filed a motion for extension, they acknowledged that they were duly served the subpoena…and the Comelec has jurisdiction over Alice Guo's case.)

“Sa pagfa-file ng extension, pinapangako nila na bigyan lang sila ng sapat na araw mafa-file nila ang answer o counter-affidavit… Anuman ang nangyari sa panahon na ‘yun, di na namin sagot yun. Kinakailangan ipaliwanag ang mga bagay-bagay lalo na sa pagfa-file ng extension,” he added.

(When they filed for an extension, they vowed to file an answer or counter-affidavit if given sufficient time... Whatever happened during that time, we're no longer responsible for that. Everything needs to be explained, especially when filing for an extension.)

On August 13, Comelec representatives formally served Guo a subpoena in relation to the material misrepresentation complaint filed against her. She was given ten days or until August 23 to file a counter-affidavit, but the period of filing was moved to August 27 due to public holidays.

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

The Senate ordered her arrest last month for not showing up at the legislative investigation into the raided POGO hub. A Tarlac court also directed authorities to take her into custody due to a graft case.

The dismissed mayor was arrested early Wednesday morning in Tangerang City, Indonesia, according to the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission. She was due to return to the Philippines on Thursday night. — VBL, GMA Integrated News