MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has canceled the passport of former Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo.
In a statement on Friday, October 4, the DFA said that it has received the National Bureau of Investigation’s certification that Guo's biometrics matched with that of Chinese national Guo Hua Ping.
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“The Department of Foreign Affairs canceled the Philippine passport issued under the identity of 'Alice Leal Guo,'” the DFA said.
The DFA only made the announcement on October 4, but said that Guo’s passport has already been canceled since September 30.
The passport was canceled in line with the New Philippine Passport Law.
Section 10 of the law states that a passport could be canceled on the grounds of “acquired fraudulently, tampered with, or issued erroneously.”
Guo faces human trafficking charges, money laundering and misrepresentation.
The Senate probe into her alleged ties to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators have unraveled a slew of problems, from government corruption to the threat of foreign spies in the country. Guo has been accused of being a spy due to her dubious background, which has been defined with inconsistent documents and an incoherent narrative from the former mayor herself.
Guo fled the country together with her family, being able to travel to Singapore and Malaysia, when she was finally detained by Indonesian authorities in July.
When she returned to the Philippines, Guo remained tight-lipped about her past during Congressional hearings.
A Chinese fugitive named She Zhijiang, detained in Thailand for allegedly running illegal online gambling operations, told Al Jazeera 101 East documentary, that he once spied for China and was recruited in the Philippines in late 2016. She also claimed Guo worked for China’s Ministry of State Security, the main agency overseeing foreign intelligence.
The dismissed Bamban mayor repeatedly denied these spy allegations.
The Congress continue to probe Guo's escape to the country as well as her alleged links to POGOs.