Gatchalian warns of arrest
MANILA, Philippines — Suspended Mayor Alice Guo of Bamban, Tarlac is still suffering from “trauma” and is not keen on attending the Senate hearing on July 10, her lawyer said yesterday.
But Guo could be arrested if she fails to attend the hearing, according to Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian.
Guo has reportedly decided not to stay in Tarlac.
Asked if Guo is still in the Philippines, her legal counsel Stephen David said, “I presume (she is still in the Philippines)… I was able to talk to her. She did not say anything to me. I don’t like to presume if there is no basis.”
It is up to the Senate to issue an arrest warrant if Guo does not comply with the subpoena, he told Teleradyo Serbisyo.
“How can you force her to attend if she is sick? They can use Zoom to check on her condition. (An arrest warrant is) the option of the Senate. I already explained to Mayor Alice the consequences (if she does not attend). It will be her call,” David said.
The Senate issued a subpoena to Guo after she failed to attend the previous hearing.
“It is traumatic for her. She always cries. She complained about why they are doing this to her. ‘I did not kill any person. I did not steal from the government. I did not hurt anyone,’” David quoted Guo as saying.
Guo no longer wants to stay in Tarlac after drones were spotted in Bamban, he said.
“Since the start of the Senate investigation, drones were reportedly seen (in Bamban). Personally, I did not witness it but she does not want to stay in the area,” he added.
According to David, he wanted to question the legality of the Senate probe before the Supreme Court but Guo disagreed.
The Senate should allow the ombudsman and the courts to handle the investigation against Guo, David maintained.
Arrest for contempt
Guo will be cited in contempt and arrested if she fails to attend the July 10 Senate committee hearing, Gatchalian said.
“The Senate can issue an arrest warrant to arrest her because she violated the subpoena and she has been cited in contempt,” he told dzBB.
Guo failed to appear at the Senate committee on women and children’s June 26 inquiry on the alleged human trafficking in Clark and Tarlac, presided over by Sen. Risa Hontiveros.
Guo and her siblings — Shiela and Siemen and Lin Wen Yi — were also invited to the proceedings to help shed light on their fake documents and birth certificates.
Meanwhile, Gatchalian reiterated calls for President Marcos to stop Philippine offshore gaming operators, as income derived from POGOs could not justify the damage it caused to society.
Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. Chairman Alejandro Tengco will be asked in the next hearing to reveal the former Cabinet member who lobbied for POGOs, Gatchalian said.
Counterproductive
Banning POGOs in the Philippines would be counterproductive and should not be entertained at all, according to officials of the House of Representatives.
“The government should not introduce a POGO ban. Period. It will kill any inducement to good behavior in that sector. It will also completely wipe out the incentive for legally compliant licensees to tip off illegal operations of non-compliant competitors,” said Rep. Joey Salceda.
Speaker Martin Romualdez, who recently ordered a full-blown inquiry on the illegal activities of POGOs, earlier expressed openness to the existence of POGOs but issued a stern reminder that Philippine laws must be strictly followed. — Cecille Suerte Felipe, Delon Porcalla