Amid reports of departure, lawyer says Guo is still in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — Lawyer of Alice Guo said he is confident that the dismissed mayor of Bamban, Tarlac is still in the Philippines, citing his conversation with her last Sunday.

“I am confident that she is in the Philippines because I have no reason not to believe her. We are talking. I wanted to know where she is and her assurance is that she is in the Philippines. That is where my confidence is coming from,” Stephen David said in an interview with “Storycon” on One News on Monday.

David said Guo specifically told him that she was in the Philippines during their online call on Sunday.

“She just swore under oath before a lawyer, stating that she is still in the Philippines. If she is no longer here, then that would be a big problem for the one who certified it,” he said, referring to a notarized affidavit that Guo’s camp submitted last week to the Department of Justice.

David said he does not know the lawyer who notarized Guo’s affidavit, but the location was in San Jose del Monte in Bulacan.

He said the lawyer could face sanctions if the affidavit was notarized without Guo personally appearing before the notary public.

“Second, I believe in our immigration. They will know if she already left the Philippines,” he added. David promised to call Guo again to ask her about Sen. Risa Hontiveros’ claims.

David insisted that Guo even had plans to surrender and appear before the Senate.

“I don’t know when… it’s about timing,” he added. Guo, he added, is still considering running in 2025. “That’s why we’re fighting her disqualification so she can run again.” — Janvic Mateo, Daphne Galvez, Evelyn Macairan