MANILA, Philippines — Controversial Mayor Alice Guo of Bamban, Tarlac has a net worth of P177.5 million, with assets of P367 million and liabilities of more than P189 million as shown in her statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) as of December 2023.
In Guo’s SALN submitted to the Senate committee on women and children chaired by Sen. Risa Hontiveros, the mayor has a total liability of P189.633 million and net worth of P177,553,060.13.
Guo has listed nine pieces of property, including six in Marilao, Bulacan, two in Bamban and one in Capaz, Tarlac.
The properties were acquired for over P20 million. The first property was acquired in 2008.
The mayor registered under her name three dump trucks worth P2 million each.
Guo also registered a helicopter worth P60 million, but she told a Senate public hearing that she had sold the aircraft to a British company earlier this year.
She also declared as her personal properties her shares of stocks with QJJ Embroidery Center Inc., Con-HORQ Summer Real Estate Group Inc. and Balesin Island Club Inc.
She also has pieces of jewelry worth P1.5 million and P198 million in the bank and cash on hand.
During the May 23 public hearing at the Senate, Hontiveros presented some photos of Guo’s 16 vehicles and said these included sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks, closed vans and dump trucks.
Guo maintained that she acquired her properties while working on her father’s farm where she grew up.
Declare POGOs national security threat
President Marcos should consider Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) as a national security threat, Sen. Hontiveros said on Wednesday.
Emerging from over three hours of a Senate executive session, Hontiveros renewed calls for the President to impose a total ban on POGOs in the country.
“At the end of the executive session, a call to the National Security Council to raise the issue of POGO as a national security threat to the President,” Hontiveros told reporters during Wednesday’s Kapihan sa Senado.
“In principle, confidential is the content shared by the agencies including NSC, ISAFP (Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines), AMLC (Anti-Money Laundering Council) and many others as well as the interagency council against trafficking. I can only describe what topics were covered,” Hontiveros added.
Under Senate rules, senators are duty-bound not to divulge issues discussed during an executive session.
Officials of government security agencies requested an executive session as there are several ongoing investigations.
Hontiveros added that a link analysis is being conducted by ISAFP and other centers of power or wealth.
“Another topic was illegal revenue flows of POGO relevant to the AMLC, especially if there is and what kind of illegal revenue flows exist between Mayor (Alice) Guo and others involved in the POGO hub,” the senator noted.
“Now, I am hoping that the National Security Council as a government body whose mandate is for national security, I hope they will bring it up to the President so that they can talk about the matter of POGO as a national security threat,” Hontiveros pointed out.
Earlier, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said previous public hearings in the Senate showed that POGO licenses were only used as fronts for human trafficking, illegal detention and large-scale money laundering.
Gatchalian cited as an example the case in Bamban, Tarlac under Mayor Guo where there were three partners in Baofu Land, which was connected to a POGO.
The second was where two companies were linked to money laundering, after already having been caught in Singapore.
“So, this activity in Bamban, in my analysis, is a money laundering activity. What happened... This is my initial analysis. This is an illegal POGO activity, no bank will lend to it for such projects,” Gatchalian added.
He explained that their engineers calculated that about P6.1 billion of the money was used to construct facilities on a 10-hectare property, consisting of 37 buildings including shopping malls and condominiums.
Guo to appeal suspension
Guo will file a motion for consideration amid the preventive suspension issued by the Office of the Ombudsman against her.
In an interview over dzRH, Guo’s legal counsel Stephen David maintained the mayor was innocent.
“We will file a motion for consideration… to lift the suspension. I believe in the integrity of the ombudsman that’s why once we file (the appeal), I am sure the ombudsman will see the merit of the defense,” David said.
He denied that Guo was among the incorporators of POGO firm Zun Yuan Technology Inc.
“It was established that she is not an incorporator. She has no POGO operation. She was the former owner of the lot. Before the election, she already divested her ownership in the land. There were 40 buildings (inside the hub) and the POGO only rented a three-story building. She has no participation in the POGO operation,” David said.
He said it is the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. that regulates POGOs and that there was also an undertaking from the operator that its permanent license was being processed by PAGCOR.
“It has a provisional license, meaning there was an implied approval from Pagcor. Mayor cannot do something as it was already raided,” he said.
David said the camp of Guo will file the appeal today.Meanwhile, David maintained that Guo is a Filipino amid calls for her to undergo a DNA test to prove her citizenship, and that it is up to the accusers to prove that Guo is not a Filipino.
BIR gathering data
The Bureau of Internal Revenue is in the process of collating data on the suspended Bamban mayor, particularly on the possible violation of tax laws.
In a Viber message, BIR Commissioner Romeo Lumagui said the revenue agency is looking into the tax liabilities of the local chief executive.
“We are still collating data to verify,” Lumagui told The STAR. Lumagui cannot provide a timeline as to when BIR intends to finish its review.
“We want to do it as soon as possible. But it really depends because she will still be given due process,” Lumagui said. “And there are a lot of companies being involved.”
Earlier, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission said it is eyeing tax evasion charges and violation of securities laws against Guo. PAOCC said it has yet to compute the amount involved but noted that it could be significant, as evident in Guo’s lavish lifestyle.
However, another source from the BIR said no agency can actually say if there really is a tax evasion case unless it comes from the BIR. - Marc Jayson Cayabyab, Bella Cariaso, Louise Maureen Simeon