MANILA, Philippines — The trafficking in persons case of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo has been filed before a Pasig court, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said.
This has been confirmed by Justice Undersecretary Nicholas Ty in a message to Philstar.com on Wednesday, September 18.
According to Ty, the case is currently being raffled to determine which branch of the Pasig court will hear the dismissed mayor’s case.
Aside from Guo, other respondents of the case include former Technology and Livelihood Resource Center chief Dennis Cunanan and 12 other executives of Zun Yuan Technology Inc.
In an ambush interview with Justice Assistant Secretary Mico Clavano, he said the case should have been in the jurisdiction of Capas, Tarlac Regional Trial Court, however, it was transferred to Pasig City due to an administrative circular of the Supreme Court ordering the transfer.
“All relevant and relative cases to those filed (cases) will be all filed before the Pasig City Regional Trial Court,” Clavano said.
After the filing, the court is expected to issue a warrant of arrest against the dismissed mayor if probable cause is found against Guo and the others.
“The court will have to make its own judicial determination of probable cause, and if they find probable cause, they will issue a warrant of arrest. Now, these cases are non-bailable, which is why, as soon as the warrants of arrest are issued by the Pasig trial court, we can expect to take custody of Ms. Alice Guo, regardless of whether she is released from the Senate or if she decides to post bail in Capas, Tarlac, for one of her cases,” Clavano said in a mix of English and Filipino.
This is the fourth case of Guo lodged before a court. The first case involves the cancellation of her birth certificate filed in a Tarlac court, while the second is a quo warranto case filed in the Manila Regional Trial Court.
The third case is a graft case against Guo supposedly filed before a Capas, Tarlac court but was eventually transferred to a Valenzuela court.
On September 15, the trafficking case of the workers of the Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) in Bamban was also transferred to a Pasig court.
The dismissed mayor is facing multiple legal challenges and cases due to her nationality and her alleged involvement in the unlawful activities of POGO hubs in Bamban, Tarlac.