‘Sick, stressed’ Guo no-show at POGO hearing

MANILA, Philippines — Embattled Bamban Mayor Alice Guo snubbed yesterday the Senate committee hearing digging deeper into her background and suspected links with offshore gaming operators.

In her letter to the committee chaired by Sen. Risa Hontiveros, Guo said she skipped the probe because her attendance at the previous hearings caused her “prolonged stress and high level of anxiety” due to the “malicious accusations thrown against me … (that) caused serious impact on my physical and mental health.”

“I have been exposed to public ridicule, humiliation and hatred for several months now, tarnishing my public image, character and reputation,” the suspended town mayor from Tarlac said.

“Unfortunately, I have already been prejudged guilty by the public despite the absence of any finding by the courts of law and proper tribunals,” she added.

Hontiveros said the mayor’s excuse is not acceptable, as the senator issued a subpoena on Guo to appear at the next hearing or face a contempt citation.

“The non-appearance of Mayor Alice Guo is a disregard of the invitation of the committee. Even though there are ongoing investigations against her, that is not a reason for her not to appear here,” Hontiveros said of Guo, who faces a human trafficking complaint for her alleged involvement in a raided Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) facility in Tarlac. 

Senators yesterday zeroed in on the existence of two Alice Leal Guos in National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) records: the suspended mayor herself and a Quezon City resident, who coincidentally shared the same birthday and birthplace.

During the continuation of the Senate investigation, Hontiveros presented the NBI clearances of two persons under the name Alice Leal Guo, with the same name, same July 12, 1986 birthday, same Tarlac birthplace, but different biometric pictures.

The mayor’s NBI clearance was dated March 10, 2021 while the other Guo’s was dated much earlier on Nov. 3, 2005. The other Guo has a Quezon city address.

The coincidence of two Alice Leal Guos prompted Hontiveros to ask the NBI representative who the real one is.

NBI Region 3 director Jerry Abiera said that the two persons under the same name could not have been because of a glitch in the NBI system.

Abiera added that a person applying for an NBI clearance has to make a personal appearance, which was why the two Alice Leal Guos have biometric pictures in the records.

That there are two Guos with the same birthday and birthplace, however, baffled Hontiveros and prompted her to suspect that the mayor stole another person’s identity in assuming fake Filipino citizenship.

“There are a lot of questions. Is it a coincidence about the two Alice Leal Guos? Is it a coincidence that this NBI clearance was applied for just a few days before the date of filing of the delayed registration of birth of the other Alice Leal Guo in Tarlac City?” Hontiveros said.

“Or is this a case of stolen identity? Has Guo Ha Ping assumed the identity of a Filipino woman and then nearly a decade later, ran for public office? Who is this Alice Leal Guo who does not look like the mayor? Where is she now?” she added.

The senator earlier bared that the suspended mayor’s real Chinese name is Guo Ha Ping, based on her Chinese passport and her Special Investor’s Resident Visa. Her birthday was on Aug. 31, 1990 in Fujian, China.

Guo birth certificate may be canceled

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) has recommended the cancellation of Guo’s certificate of live birth (COLB) or birth certificate, putting the mayor’s alleged Filipino citizenship in limbo.

Guo’s late birth registration was applied before the PSA on Nov. 22, 2005, when Guo was already a teenager, PSA Assistant National Statistician Marizza Grande said during the Senate’s resumption of its investigation on Guo’s alleged involvement in illegal POGO activities.

Upon Hontiveros’ interrogation, Grande said that Guo’s delayed birth registration was “irregular” because of the false information about her birthplace and citizenship.

“We had already endorsed to the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) for the cancellation of (Guo’s) COLB. The PSA has no power to automatically cancel if there was an irregular process in the registration,” Grande added.

Once Guo’s COLB is cancelled, Grande explained that technically, the former’s identity is floating, because her Filipino citizenship is being questioned.

Hontiveros said Guo’s delayed birth registration was “fraudulent” because of the lack of supporting documents.

“This has heavy implications on the person involved,” the senator added.

Grande said that aside from the mayor’s COLB, they also petitioned the OSG for the cancellation of the birth certificates of her siblings Sheila, Seimen and Wesley.

Lapid, Porac mayor deny links to POGO

Sen. Lito Lapid yesterday denied involvement in the raided POGO facility in Porac, Pampanga.

Lapid attended the continuation of the Senate investigation on illegal offshore gaming activities to deny a vlogger’s accusation that he owned the 10-hectare land where Lucky South 99 was located.

“I and the mayor are accused of being a protector of POGO in Porac. I am here in the hearing to prove that I am not involved in any POGO operation. I will resign from the Senate if that is proven true,” he said.

Porac Mayor Jaime Capil, who also attended the hearing, likewise denied being involved in the illegal POGO operation and agreed with Lapid against the vlogger’s accusations. – Emmanuel Tupas, Michael Punongbayan, Cecille Suerte Felipe