Senator Risa Hontiveros reiterated her call for suspended Bamban Mayor Alice Guo to confront the allegations against her in the Senate. This comes after Guo’s recent Facebook post, where she asserted her Filipino citizenship and called for an end to false information about her.
“Mayor Alice Guo o Guo Hua Ping, kung nakakapag-Facebook ka. Siguro naman kaya mo nang humarap sa Senado. Ginamit mo pa ang Facebook para sa pagpapakalat ng fake news na Pilipino kayo. Hindi ka Pilipino,” Hontiveros stated in a virtual interview. (Mayor Alice Guo, if you can use Facebook, you can face the Senate. You even used Facebook to spread fake news that you are a Filipino. You are not a Filipino.)
Hontiveros emphasized that substantial evidence indicates Guo used her claimed nationality to gain wealth, deceive the public, and facilitate the entry of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) associated with criminal activities.
In a virtual press conference, Hontiveros linked Guo to a criminal syndicate behind POGOs, referencing information from the Anti-Money Laundering Council. She disclosed that Guo’s company, Baofu, had direct transactions with a joint account of a Chinese citizen and a key figure in the raided POGO firm Hong Sheng in Bamban, allegedly connected to former Presidential Adviser Michael Yang’s brother.
The Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality is investigating Guo’s alleged involvement in the illegal POGO hub in Bamban. Questions about Guo’s citizenship arose due to inconsistent testimonies and dubious documents. The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) confirmed that Guo and Chinese passport holder Guo Hua Ping share the same fingerprints. Additionally, school records from Grace Christian High School indicated she has a Chinese birth certificate and declared Chinese parents.
Despite these allegations, Guo has denied involvement in illegal POGO activities and maintained her claim of Filipino citizenship.