OSG moves to cancel Guo’s birth certificate

MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) yesterday filed a petition seeking the cancellation of the birth certificate of suspended Mayor Alice Guo of Bamban, Tarlac.

Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra said the petition was filed before a Tarlac City regional trial court (RTC).

In a text message to reporters, Guevarra said the petition was filed on the grounds of Guo’s failure to comply with the legal requirements for late birth registration.

Guevarra explained that Guo “did not submit the required supporting documents for late registration.”

He also noted that it was Guo’s alleged father who belatedly registered her birth certificate even though she was already 19 years old at the time.

Guevarra cited “glaring inconsistencies” between the entries in Guo’s birth certificate and information contained in other public records.

“If her birth certificate is canceled, she will lose her most important defense evidence about her identity,” Guevarra said.

Quo warranto

Guevarra clarified that the filing of quo warranto petition against Guo is not dependent on the outcome of the petition to cancel her birth certificate.

This was Gueverra’s response when asked what would happen if in such an instance the RTC refuses to grant the petition for cancellation.

“The quo warranto petition can be supported by preponderant independent evidence; it’s not dependent on the outcome of the cancellation petition,” he said.

Guevarra earlier said a quo warranto petition would be filed against Guo this month.

A quo warranto proceeding is a legal remedy to determine a person’s right to a public office.

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian has welcomed the OSG’s move to file a petition seeking to cancel Mayor Guo’s birth certificate.

“I congratulate the OSG for doing that first step to cancel her birth certificate. This will have a domino effect on the next step, which is quo warranto, to strip her of her post,” Gatchalian said at a virtual press briefing yesterday.

The senator also urged the Department of Foreign Affairs to cancel Guo’s Philippine passport because it was based on a birth certificate which alleged that she was Filipino with a Filipino mother.

“If her birth certificate is cancelled, then the basis of her passport is void. She even has a national ID, which should be cancelled as well,” Gatchalian said.

DOJ begins probe

The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Friday started its preliminary investigation into the qualified human trafficking complaint filed against Guo and 13 others.

The case stemmed from the criminal complaint filed before the DOJ over their alleged involvement in the operation of a Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) hub in Bamban, Tarlac that was raided last March.

The complaint was filed by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) and the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group before the DOJ last June 21.

In a chance interview, DOJ Undersecretary Nicholas Ty said none of the respondents showed up during the first preliminary investigation hearing.

“Based on the report I received, none of the respondents showed up, but their lawyers did,” Ty said.

“The prosecution panel gave them 15 days to file their counter affidavit,” he added.

Ty noted that Guo and the other respondents need to personally attend the next hearing on July 22 if they want to file their counter-affidavit.

He said that Guo’s counter-affidavit will not be accepted in the instance that she does not show up during the next scheduled hearing.

“She needs to show up. Her counter-affidavit will not be accepted if she does not personally appear and take oath before the fiscal,” he added.

Trafficking case weak, says lawyer

The human trafficking case against Guo is weak, her legal counsel said yesterday, saying there is no direct evidence against the mayor.

“With all due respect, it’s really weak. In fact, if you read the complaint, the CIDG and the PAOCC admitted that there is no direct evidence of human trafficking against Mayor Alice Guo,” said Alex Avisado, one of Guo’s legal counsels.

“Look at the evidence against Mayor Guo, these were mere papers, electricity bill, letter of no objection, articles of incorporation. These documents are not enough to commit a crime of human trafficking,” Avisado said, adding that they will file their counter-affidavit on July 22.

The PAOCC said there is enough evidence to prove that Guo was involved in human trafficking over alleged illegal activities at a raided POGO hub in her Tarlac town.

According to PAOCC spokesman Winston Casio, recent documents obtained by the agency could implicate Guo, despite her name not appearing in any documents of Zun Yuan Technologies.

Casio added that the PAOCC is considering additional charges related to money laundering and other offenses.

He confirmed that the evidence includes documents directly linking Guo to the POGO hub, which was raided in March following reports of human trafficking and other illegal activities.

Guo not qualified to be state witness – PAOCC

Guo should not be made a state witness as she is directly connected in the operations of two illegal POGO hubs, the PAOCC said.

Casio said it is premature to discuss whether the embattled local chief executive could be a state witness as the evidence they have gathered showed Guo’s involvement in the illegal activities at the Zun Yuan Technology Inc. in Bamban and Lucky South 99 in Porac, Pampanga, two suspected illegal POGO firms.

“From what we are seeing now, she is one of the most guilty with regards to the operation of human trafficking and scamming in Bamban and possibly in Porac,” Casio said over One PH on Thursday.

For Casio, Guo should be the least guilty if she has a chance to qualify as a state witness.

“In our appreciation of the evidence that we collected, she carries a big responsibility in these firms,” he said. –  Marc Jayson Cayabyab, Emmanuel Tupas, Bella Cariaso