Alice Guo’s camp fails to block 4 BIR personnel from testifying

The camp of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo on Tuesday tried to block the prosecution from presenting four personnel from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to testify during the hearing into her graft case.

The four BIR personnel introduced by the prosecution at the Valenzuela Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 285 were from Bulacan and Tarlac, based on a Super Radyo dzBB report of Allan Gatus.

Guo’s camp led by her legal counsel, Atty. Nicole Jamilla, argued that the presentation of the personnel has no connection with the graft charges being faced by the former mayor.

Kampo ni dating Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo, tinangkang harangin ang presentasyon ng 4 na tauhan ng Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) bilang testigo ng prosekusyon. | via @allangatus pic.twitter.com/zsE5qMUGFE

— DZBB Super Radyo (@dzbb) January 21, 2025

Despite this, Valenzuela City RTC Judge Orven Kuan Ontalan allowed their presentation during the hearing.

Guo’s graft case stemmed from the complaint filed by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) over her alleged involvement in the raided Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) in Bamban.

In the hearing, it was shown that Guo did not file any taxes since she applied for a Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) in Bulacan until she transferred to Tarlac.

Her camp asserted that the hearing should only focus on the graft case and not on tax, but the prosecution said that they want to establish Guo’s connection with Baofu Land Development Inc.

Guo was found to be an incorporator of Baofu, which houses the 10-hectare area of Zun Yuan Technology Incorporated that was linked to cybercrime, internet fraud, torture, and human trafficking.

The hearing will continue next Tuesday, January 28, with the prosecution expected to present DILG Undersecretary Juan Victor Llamas.

Aside from the graft case before a Valenzuela court, Guo is also facing a qualified trafficking case before a Pasig court and a material misrepresentation case before a Tarlac court.

A quo warranto petition was also filed against her with a Manila court, as well as a petition to cancel her birth certificate before a Tarlac court.

She is also facing a tax evasion complaint and a perjury and falsification complaint before the DOJ.

Guo has denied the numerous charges against her.

--VAL, GMA Integrated News