Court allows Alice Guo to attend Senate probe 'whenever required'

The Regional Trial Court of Capas, Tarlac Branch 109 has allowed dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo to appear before the Senate investigation into the illegal POGO operations "whenever [she is] required to do so."

This was relayed by the Tarlac court's Presiding Judge Sara Vedaña-Delos Santos in a letter to Senator Risa Hontiveros dated September 10.

"[This Court, in recognition of the Senate's power to conduct inquiries in aid of legislation, assured the Honorable Senator that it shall continue to allow GUO HUA PING ALIAS ALICE LEAL GUO...to be brought before the Senate whenever required to do so," the letter read.

Vedaña-Delos Santos has requested Hontiveros to send a prior request to avoid conflict with the court's scheduled hearings on Guo's case.

Guo is currently detained at the Philippine National Police (PNP) Custodial Center in Quezon City after she opted not to post bail with regard to the graft charges filed against her before a court in Tarlac.

Amid questions on the legality of the warrant of arrest issued by the Tarlac Court, Hontiveros said that Guo will remain in the custody of the PNP until the legal issues surrounding the case filed against the dismissed mayor are resolved.

Hontiveros is the chairperson of the Senate committee on women, children, family relations, and gender equality which investigates Guo's supposed involvement in the illegal POGO operations in Bamban, Tarlac.

During the Senate hearing last Monday, Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino argued that Guo should be detained in the Senate as the warrant of arrest issued by the Tarlac court is in violation of Republic Act 10660.

Tolentino argued that the graft case against the dismissed mayor should not have been filed with Branch 109 of the Capas, Tarlac RTC, but outside the judicial region where Guo held office.

He also pointed out that the arrest order from the Senate was the one used when Guo was arrested in Indonesia.

Earlier, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said that he would ask the Office of the Ombudsman why the graft case against Guo was filed before a Tarlac RTC.

Alice Guo was arrested in Indonesia on September 4 and arrived in the Philippines on September 6.

When Guo was nabbed in Indonesia, it was expected that she would be detained in the Senate as it was the arrest order issued by the upper chamber which was used to intercept her abroad.

However, Guo was brought to the PNP Custodial Center early Friday morning after she arrived in the Philippines. —VAL, GMA Integrated News