DOJ looking into opposing Alice Guo's candidacy

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla on Friday said the Department of Justice (DOJ) may oppose the certificate of candidacy (COC) to be filed by dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo for her reelection.

"We'll cross the bridge when we get there. Why not? We may oppose, might as well oppose," Remulla said in an interview when asked if the DOJ would object to Guo's bid.

Earlier in the day, Guo's legal counsel, Stephen David, said the former mayor would file her COC next week. He said the courts have yet to decide whether or not Guo is a Filipino.

Remulla, however, believed that it was not within the rights of Guo, also identified as Guo Hua Ping, to run for reelection.

"I wouldn't say it's her right, cause she's not Filipino and she bears falsified documents," he said.

Guo was recently indicated as a Chinese spy by Chinese Cambodian businessman She Zhijiang in a report of international news channel Al Jazeera.

The former mayor has denied knowing or having any connection with She, who also claimed to be a former Chinese spy.

For its part, the Commission on Elections previously said that the poll body does not have the power to automatically cancel Guo's COC.

In July, the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) filed a quo warranto petition against Guo before a Manila court, which may result in her removal from office.

The OSG also filed a petition to cancel the former mayor's birth certificate before a Tarlac court. Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra had said that if cancelled, Guo would lose her most important defense on her identity.

Guo is facing a qualified human trafficking case before a Pasig court and a graft case before a Valenzuela court.

She is also facing a tax evasion complaint as well as a money laundering complaint before the Justice Department. — VDV, GMA Integrated News