MANILA, Philippines — The National Bureau of Investigation has confirmed that the fingerprints of suspended Bamban Mayor Alice Guo and Guo Hua Ping match, Sen. Risa Hontiveros said on Thursday, who remarked this could be the most damning evidence that can be used to remove Guo from her position.
In a statement sent to reporters, Hontiveros said that the NBI has confirmed that the Guo's and the Chinese passport-holder's fingerprints are "of one and the same person."
"This confirms what I have suspected all along. 'Mayor Alice,' or should I say, Guo Hua Ping, is a fake Filipino," Hontiveros said.
The senator added: "She is a Chinese national masquerading as a Filipino citizen to facilitate crimes being committed by POGO."
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Earlier, Sen. Win Gatchalian bared government documents that show Guo might have entered the Philippines already as a teen using a passport that bared the name "Guo Hua Ping" and which states her nationality as Chinese.
One document is a photocopy of a passport with the name "GUO HAPING." The place of birth indicated in the passport is Fujian, China, with the date of birth being Aug. 31, 1990.
Hontiveros said the NBI's confirmation of the fingerprint match between Guo and "Guo Hua Ping" is the "heaviest evidence that can be used to remove 'Mayor Alice' from position."
The senator urged the Office of the Solicitor General to expedite its filing of a quo warranto case against her."
Hontiveros also vowed to "know the full extent" of Guo's "deception" and identify the systemic roots of the Philippines' Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) problem.
On June 18, Guo's legal representatives sent a letter addressed to Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, where Guo asserted her innocence and denied all accusations against her related to human trafficking, kidnapping and money laundering.
Guo said in the letter that her shortcomings are due to a "lack of knowledge" and not intentional wrongdoing.