Gatchalian wants Guo out of NPC over alleged ties to illegal POGO

MANILA, Philippines — Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) stalwart Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian wants Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo expelled from the party over her alleged ties to money laundering and syndicates.

“Personally – based on what I am seeking – my take is that she should be expelled from NPC because of her ties to illegal POGO,” Gatchalian said during the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum yesterday, referring to Philippine offshore gaming operators.

Gatchalian made this call as he detailed Guo’s alleged dealings with fugitives in setting up an offshore gaming hub in her town.

Her ties to criminal syndicates should be enough reason to kick her out of NPC, which she only joined as mayor because it was the ruling party in Tarlac, said Gatchalian, who is a member of the NPC advisory council.

Guo ran as an independent in 2022.

“I will air my views as a member of the advisory council and stress the importance of maintaining integrity as members of the NPC. Keeping her would set a bad precedent because she is not the type of member we want for our party,” Gatchalian said.

“It is important for members to have a high level of integrity and a good moral conduct, by not being involved in this kind of criminality,” he added.

The senator also sounded the alarm about the possibility that Guo’s family of companies could have been used for money laundering, citing the Guo family farm and embroidery business which have good cash flow despite not making an income.

“We did a lot of research in expanding our investigation to look into money laundering. We estimate that it took P6.1 billion to invest in the 10-hectare property with 37 buildings. Where did that money come from?” Gatchalian said.

Guo’s alleged involvement in other crimes would be tackled in the Senate’s next executive session hearing, Gatchalian said. — Marc Jayson Cayabyab, Gerry Lee Gorit