Suspended Bamban Mayor Alice Guo’s legal team has petitioned the Supreme Court (SC) to annul the subpoena issued against her in connection with the Senate’s investigation into the raided POGO hub in her municipality.
In a comprehensive 78-page petition for certiorari, Guo requested the High Court to annul the Subpoena Ad Testificandum issued by the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality. Guo argued that she has already been unfairly judged guilty of numerous crimes without due process, and her constitutional rights have been violated repeatedly.
“Petitioner Guo, a child, a daughter, a woman, a public servant, and one with a family and name of her own, has already been adjudged guilty of all sorts of crimes,” the petition stated. “Her constitutionally guaranteed freedoms and rights have been repeatedly violated, ignored, and/or disregarded.”
Additionally, Guo’s petition seeks to prevent the committee from further inviting or compelling her to appear as a resource person. The Supreme Court was also asked to issue a temporary restraining order or a writ of preliminary injunction to halt the enforcement of the subpoena and her inclusion as a resource person.
Respondent and Background
The Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality, chaired by Senator Risa Hontiveros, is the respondent in this case. The committee is investigating Guo’s alleged involvement in the illegal POGO hub raided in Bamban.
“Public Respondent ought to remember that a legislative inquiry must prove to be in aid of legislation and not for other purposes,” the petition emphasized. Guo also claimed that the committee “totally, whimsically, and arbitrarily discriminates” against the institution it is supposed to protect.
Reactions and Previous Developments
GMA News Online has sought comments from Senator Hontiveros but has not yet received a response.
Previously, the Senate panel issued an arrest warrant for Guo after she failed to attend the investigation’s resumption. Her lawyer, Stephen David, mentioned that the Senate hearings have left Guo “traumatized.”
The Senate committee’s investigation extends to questioning Guo’s citizenship due to inconsistent testimonies and dubious documents regarding her Filipino citizenship. Despite these allegations, Guo denies any involvement in illegal POGO activities and maintains her Filipino citizenship.