Guo pleads not guilty to material misrepresentation

MANILA, Philippines —  Dismissed Bamban mayor Alice Guo has pleaded not guilty to the material misrepresentation charge lodged against her before a Tarlac court.

Guo was arraigned before the Capas Regional Trial Court Branch 66 yesterday where she made her plea.

“She pleaded not guilty,” Guo’s legal counsel Stephen David confirmed to reporters in a text message.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has accused Guo of violating Section 74 in relation to Section 262 of the Omnibus Election Code for filing a certificate of candidacy for mayor in the 2022 elections despite supposedly being a Chinese citizen.

The poll body cited how Guo’s fingerprints in her voting records matched the fingerprints of a Chinese woman named Guo Hua Ping.

“The guilty plea is not expected. What is important is that the process has just begun,” said Comelec Chairman George Garcia.

“We will pursue this case until the very end,” he added.

Garcia said the preliminary conference on Guo’s case is scheduled in February.

“The Comelec lawyers are expected to lead the prosecution team. The lawyers of Comelec Region 3 will handle the case,” he said.

In August, Guo was dismissed from the Bamban mayoralty.

Aside from the material misrepresentation case, Guo, who is currently detained in Pasig City jail, is also facing complaints for graft, qualified human trafficking, money laundering and tax evasion.

She is likewise being investigated by Congress over her alleged links to Philippine offshore gaming operators.

A quo warranto petition was also filed against Guo with a Manila court, as well as a petition to cancel her birth certificate before a Tarlac court.

Guo has denied the charges against her and insisted that she is a Filipino citizen.

Her counsel previously announced that the dismissed mayor intended to run for reelection in the 2025 elections amid the charges, but she never filed her certificate of candidacy. - Mark Ernest Villeza, Rhodina Villanueva