Hontiveros: More cases vs. Alice Guo if she files candidacy

Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros warned dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo that she would face more charges if she files her candidacy for Eleksyon 2025.

"Guo Hua Ping would be committing an act of material misrepresentation if she fills out her certificate of candidacy (COC) and falsely declares herself to be a Filipino citizen," Hontiveros said.

"The COC is an important document executed under oath. Kung magpupumilit si Guo Hua Ping sa kanyang kasinungalingan, dadagdag pa ang perjury sa litanya ng mga krimen na kanyang kinasasangkutan," she added.

(The COC is an important document executed under oath. If Guo Hua Ping insists on her lies, there will be an additional case of perjury on top of the pile of charges filed against her.)

Hontiveros also took a jab at Guo for expressing her intention to run again in the 2025 midterm polls.

"Mukhang wala pa ring tigil ang panloloko ni 'Alice Guo' sa taumbayan, kahit na nasa loob na siya ng kulungan," she said.

(Alice Guo's deception seems to have no end, even if she's already behind bars.)

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, who joined Hontiveros in investigating Guo's links to illegal POGOs, said the plan of the dismissed mayor to run for public office "is yet another brazen attempt to undermine the country's laws."

"I strongly urge the Comelec to immediately enforce the necessary legal measures to disqualify her from seeking public office," Gatchalian said.

He said that the Commission on Elections (Comelec) had approved its law department's recommendation to take action against Guo for violating the Omnibus Election Code through "blatant misrepresentation."

Among the key findings on Guo were her identical fingerprints with Chinese passport holder Guo Hua Ping and her "false claim" that she was a Filipino born in Tarlac despite official records showing that she is a Chinese national born in Fujian province to her mother Lin Wenyi.

"Malinaw sa ating batas na bawal ang mga banyaga na tumakbo sa anumang posisyon sa gobyerno," Gatchalian said.

(It is clear in the law that foreign nationals are not allowed to run for any elective position in the government.)

Senator Joel Villanueva recently said "it would be ridiculous if she would still be allowed to run again."

On Friday, Guo's lawyer Stephen David said the dismissed mayor would file her COC next week to seek reelection as the local chief executive of Bamban, Tarlac.

According to David, Guo should run so they could see if locals still wanted her as their leader.

"Kasi right now, maraming negative publicity, maraming rin nag sy-symphatize, marami din naman siyang nagawang mabuti sa bayan ng Bamban. Marami pa rin nagmamahal sa kanya," he said.

(Right now, there's a lot of negative publicity, many people sympathize, and there are also many good things she has done for the town of Bamban. Many people still love her.)

"So 'yun ang pakiusap ko. Kung bigyan siya ng pagkakataon para malaman naman ng bayan, eh siya ba ay karapat dapat manalo o hindi," he added.

(So, that’s my plea. Give her a chance so that the country may know if she should win or not.)

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said the Department of Justice (DOJ) may oppose Guo's reelection bid.

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 said that if cancelled, Guo would lose her most important defense on her identity.

In August, the Office of the Ombudsman dismissed Guo from service with forfeiture of all her retirement benefits as well as perpetual disqualification from public office.

It said Guo's acts, such as her involvement in the raided Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub in Bamban showed a "willful intent on her part to violate the law or disregard established rules."

Her lawyer, however, said that the Ombudsman's ruling is not final and that they asked the court to reconsider its decision. — VDV/VBL, GMA Integrated News