Arrest warrant looms vs Alice Guo if she skips next Senate hearing

MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Chiz Escudero has backed efforts by Sen. Risa Hontiveros to compel suspended Bamban Mayor Alice Guo to face the Senate women and gender equality committee, warning Guo of a potential arrest warrant against her if she skips the next hearing.

In a press conference on Tuesday, Escudero said he would sign a possible warrant of arrest against Guo if this is formally requested by Hontiveros, chair of the Senate panel investigating the illegal Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) hub in Bamban. 

"Nasa kamay ni Senator Risa kung siya ay magre-request kung ma-issue ng warrant of arrest para sila ay pwersahang padaluhin sa pagdinig ng Senado," he said. "At pipirmahan ko ang warrant of arrest na iyon kapag ni-request ni Senator Risa."

 (It is in the hands of Senator Risa whether she will request the issuance of a warrant of arrest to compel them to attend the Senate hearing, and I will sign that warrant of arrest if Senator Risa requests it.)

The Senate will resume its probe on the Bamban POGO hub and Guo's alleged involvement in its operations on July 10, making it the fourth hearing into the matter. 

Guo did not attend the previous hearing on June 26 due to health reasons, according to her legal counsel, which took place less than a week after she was charged with qualified human trafficking before the Department of Justice. 

Her absence led Hontiveros to issue a subpoena against her, which her camp has yet to receive as she was nowhere to be found in her alleged farm in Bamban, Tarlac, where only the farm helper was present, according to Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Roberto Ancan. 

On Tuesday, Guo's lawyer Stephen David said that the suspended Bamban mayor may again skip the next Senate probe after she was "traumatized" by the "Senate's treatment" of her during the previous committee hearings. 

Escudero chided Guo's legal camp and said it is not up to them to decide whether or not to attend the next hearing as a subpoena falls under "compulsion of law."

"Kapag nag-issue ng subpoena, ang husgado man, ang Senado, ang Kongreso, obligado ang testigo na sundin at sundan ito. Hindi ako kumakatig sa kaniyang sagot, o sagot ng abogado niya, na desisyon nila 'yan at call nila 'yan," said Escudero.

(When a subpoena is issued, whether by the court, the Senate, or Congress, the witness is obliged to comply and follow it. I do not accept her answer, or her lawyer's answer, where they say it's their decision and their call.)

A medical certificate is needed to justify Guo's absence if it is due to health reasons, Escudero added.

Meanwhile, Hontiveros said in a statement on Tuesday that Guo cannot use her mental health to escape accountability, especially as a public servant. 

To recall, Guo was under oath when she told the Senate that she was born and raised in the Philippines, contrary to the National Bureau of Investigation's findings that found her fingerprints match that of a Chinese national named "Guo Hua Ping" who, according to passport documents, entered the Philippines as a teenager.

On top of inconsistencies in her official birth certificate, allegations that Guo is using a false identity have since prompted the Commission on Elections to launch an investigation into how she was able to run for public office in 2022.

"We merely asked basic questions that any upright human being could answer. Ngayong na wala na siyang lusot, nagpapa-victim siya (Now that she has no excuse, she is playing the victim)," Hontiveros said.

"If she doesn't honor the subpoena, the Senate is well within its rights to issue an arrest order. Dumalo nalang siya sa hearing sa Miyerkules para wala nang drama (She should attend the next hearing to avoid any more drama)," the senator added. — Cristina Chi