Risky for Alice Guo to seek reelection – Pimentel

Metro Manila, Philippines – Dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo may seek reelection but she faces political backlash from a number of issues including her citizenship, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III said on Monday, Oct. 7.

“Legitimate naman yun to raise it sa entablado (It’s legitimate to raise it on stage). These are not personal attacks. These are legitimate political issues,” Pimentel said in a press conference at the Senate.

“Even if manalo siya, posible rin na balewala ang panalo, ang pagkapanalo niya, kasi in the end she may be declared pala as non-Filipino, therefore not qualified,” he added.

[Translation: Even if she wins, her victory could still be nullified because in the end, she may be declared as non-Filipino, and therefore, not qualified.]

Guo is facing multiple cases, including graft, money laundering, and qualified human trafficking for her alleged involvement in offshore gaming operations, but she has not been convicted.

Pimentel said the Office of the Ombudsman order perpetually disqualifying her from public office is appealable.

She also has a pending case at the Commission on Elections for material misrepresentation, a violation of the Omnibus Election Code, for presenting herself as a Filipino in her mayoral bid for the 2022 elections. It was filed after her fingerprints matched those of Chinese national Guo Hua Ping.

Guo has maintained that she is a Filipino, and her lawyer, Stephen David, confirmed that she will file for reelection.

On Tuesday, Guo will again face the Senate probe on illegal offshore gaming activities. Senator JV Ejercito said he hopes it will be the last hearing.

“Sana i-wrap up na ito dahil baka malihis pa sa tunay nating pakay na matukoy ang international crime syndicate, na sa tingin natin ay tunay na nasa likod nito,” Ejercito said in a statement, adding that he has full confidence in the chairperson, Senator Risa Hontiveros.

[Translation: I hope this wraps up soon because we might lose focus on our true goal of identifying the international crime syndicate that we believe is behind this.]

On Sept. 24, Guo faced a closed-door meeting with senators after promising to reveal the mastermind behind illegal POGO operations.