Comelec to file charges vs Alice Guo

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will pursue charges against dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo for allegedly committing material misrepresentation in the 2022 national and local elections.

This developed after the Comelec en banc adopted the recommendation of its law department to file information against Guo with a regional trial court.

“The Commission resolved, as it hereby resolves, to adopt the recommendation of the Law Department to the filing of information against Respondent Alice Leal Guo/Ha Ping before the proper Regional Trial Court for violation of Section 74 in relation Section 262 of the Omnibus Election Code (OEC),” the Comelec resolution released to media on Tuesday read.

The camp of Guo filed the counter-affidavit on the subpoena issued against her on September 12 after several extensions.

In her answer, the dismissed mayor said the filing of the instant case is premature and the lack of authentication of the comparative examinations of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) “doubts on the validity and truthfulness of the allegations in the complaint.”

The Comelec Law Department, however, said it found probable cause and recommended the filing of information against the dismissed mayor for presenting false qualifications and deliberately attempting to mislead the voting public.

“Withal, it is clear from the evidence presented by Complainant that there is a sufficient ground to believe that Respondent committed material misrepresentation in violation of section 74 of the oEC in relation to section 262 of the same Code, when she declared in her COC that is a Filipino citizen and a resident of Bamban, Tarlac when in truth and in fact, she is not,” it added.

Guo is facing charges for graft, qualified human trafficking, money laundering, and tax evasion for her alleged involvement in the Philippines Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub in her town.

She is currently detained at the Pasig City Jail.

Guo was earlier ordered dismissed from her post as Bamban mayor in August by the Office of the Ombudsman.

The Department of Foreign Affairs canceled Guo's Philippine passport as her biometrics match those of Chinese passport holder Guo Hua Ping in the files of the National Bureau of Investigation.

She earlier expressed intention to run in the 2025 midterm elections but later announced her withdrawal from the mayoral race in Bamban.