Suspended Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo has not been seen at her farm for several weeks, according to information from her helper, as reported by the Office of the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms (OSAA). The information was detailed in a report dated July 4, addressed to Senator Risa Hontiveros, regarding the issuance of subpoenas to Guo and her family members.
The subpoenas, addressed to Mayor Alice Leal Guo, Ms. Cheila Leal Guo, Mr. Wesley Leal Guo, and Mr. Jian Zhang Guo, were not served at their residence in Barangay Virgen Delos Remedios, Bamban, Tarlac. The helper at the farm stated that Mayor Guo had not visited the farm for weeks and that he had no knowledge of her whereabouts. He also claimed not to know the mayor’s siblings and refused to receive the subpoenas.
Despite this refusal, the OSAA officers left copies of the subpoenas with the helper in case Guo and her siblings returned. They then attempted to serve the subpoenas at Bamban Municipal Hall, but Guo’s personal secretary also refused to accept them. Nevertheless, the officers left copies at Guo’s office.
On July 5, Guo’s legal counsel, Nicole Jamilla, accepted the subpoenas for the mayor, her father, her siblings, and Katherine Cassanda Li Ong, along with invitation letters for Seimen Guo and Wenyi Lin. However, Jamilla clarified that their law firm only represents Mayor Alice Leal Guo and not her family members.
Earlier, Guo’s other lawyer, Stephen David, indicated that the suspended mayor is unlikely to attend further Senate hearings regarding the raided POGO hub in Bamban, citing her trauma from previous sessions.
The Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality issued subpoenas to others involved in the investigation, including Jaimelyn Cruz, Roderick Pujante, Juan Miguel Alpas, and Nancy Gamo. Of these, only the subpoena to Nancy Gamo was served through her liaison officer.
Mayor Guo is under Senate investigation for her alleged involvement in the operations of an illegal POGO hub in Bamban and her suspected ties to a criminal syndicate operated by Chinese nationals. Her citizenship has also been questioned due to inconsistencies in her testimonies and dubious documents regarding her Filipino citizenship. Guo has denied any involvement in illegal POGO activities and maintains that she is a Filipino citizen.