Delay in Alice Guo case amid court transfer

Metro Manila, Philippines – Court proceedings on the graft charges against former Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo have been delayed to address jurisdiction issues, which led to the transfer of her case to the Valenzuela Regional Trial Court.

The arraignment and pre-trial for Guo’s case were scheduled for Friday, Sept. 13, at 1:30 p.m.

On Thursday, however, Capas, Tarlac RTC Branch 109 Presiding Judge Sarah Vedaña-Delos Santos issued an order canceling the proceedings and transferring the case records to Executive Judge Ronald Leo Haban.

The reason: potential violation of Office of the Court Administrator Circular No. 10-2024 which requires that cases involving public officials be forwarded to the nearest RTC within the closest judicial region.

For Guo’s case, it is the Valenzuela RTC.

Senator Francis Tolentino and Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesperson PCol Jean Fajardo confirmed the case transfer in separate media briefings on Friday.

“Pag mali ang jurisdiction ng court, yung venue sa isang criminal case ay mali na ang lahat ng gagawin, kaya ang mangyayari, maging yung warrant of arrest na inisyu ay invalid kasi walang jurisdiction ang court,” Tolentino explained.

[Translation: If the court's jurisdiction is incorrect, then everything related to the criminal case will be flawed, including the validity of the arrest warrant issued, because the court has no jurisdiction.]

“Yung lahat ng errors can be raised for the first time on appeal, kahit sa Supreme Court. So mapapawalang-sala si Alice Guo on the basis of technicality. So naitama na natin lahat ito, wala na silang lusot dito,” he added.

[Translation: All errors can be raised for the first time on appeal, even up to the Supreme Court. This means Alice Guo could be acquitted on the basis of technicality. We have corrected all of this, so her camp has no escape.]

Tolentino and Fajardo said Guo will remain at the PNP Custodial Center in Camp Crame, Quezon City unless the Valenzuela court orders otherwise.

Guo is facing graft charges for her alleged involvement in illegal offshore gaming operations in Bamban. She earlier refused to post the 180,000 bail, resulting in her continued detention at Camp Crame instead of the Senate – the first to order her arrest for snubbing its hearings.

On Friday, Senator Risa Hontiveros, who leads the legislative probe, requested Valenzuela RTC Executive Judge Mateo Altarejos to permit Alice Guo’s attendance at the Senate hearing on Tuesday, Sept. 17.