Suspended Bamban Mayor Alice Guo will have to serve her sentence in the Philippines if convicted by local courts before any potential deportation, Senator Risa Hontiveros confirmed on Friday.
In a press conference, Hontiveros cited the Department of Justice’s opinion, stating that Guo would need to face the consequences of her actions in the Philippines first. “Even if there will be a penalty of deportation once she is convicted in any of the cases, she will first have to serve her sentence here in the Philippines. The deportation will not be a free pass. She will have to face the consequences if our courts find that she indeed violated the laws of our republic,” Hontiveros explained.
Guo and several others are facing non-bailable human trafficking charges. Additionally, the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) plans to file a quo warranto case against Guo, potentially leading to her removal from her elective post.
Hontiveros emphasized that the cancellation of Guo’s birth certificate could be the gravest offense she faces. The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) has endorsed the cancellation of Guo’s birth registration with the OSG. Guo could also face severe consequences if it is proven that she stole the identity of a Filipino woman to run for office and cover illegal POGO activities.
On Wednesday, Hontiveros presented a National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) document indicating that two individuals named Alice Leal Guo share the same birth date and place. This raised questions about identity theft. The NBI later confirmed that Mayor Guo and Chinese passport holder Guo Hua Ping’s fingerprints matched, suggesting they are the same person.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian initially raised suspicions, presenting documents from the Board of Investments (BOI) and the Bureau of Immigration showing Guo Hua Ping’s entry into the Philippines in 2003. According to Gatchalian, Alice Guo might be Guo Hua Ping, who entered the country at age 13 and has a different birth date from the one she declared to the Senate committee.
Guo’s case gained attention following a police raid on a POGO hub in Bamban, Tarlac. The raid exposed various criminal activities, prompting scrutiny of Guo’s background and citizenship.