
(File Photo)
Mayor Alice Leal Guo / Facebook
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the images of himself with Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo that resurfaced online do not prove anything since he never declines anyone's request for selfies or any photo opportunities.
The Chief Executive on late Saturday evening downplayed any implications of close association with Mayor Guo after the latter shared pictures of her and Marcos on social media.
Guo uploaded the photos last week after Marcos backed the investigation into the local executive's questionable identification since "no one knows her".
"That proves nothing. You know how many pictures I take during the campaign. Maybe a thousand in a day. You don't refuse anyone who asks for a selfie. So, it doesn’t really mean anything," Marcos said.
Marcos added the executive branch's own investigation into Guo's identification and potential role in the two illegal offshore gaming operations that were recently raided in her city had just begun.
When asked if there had been any initial findings sent to Malacañang regarding the investigation, President Marcos affirmed that no definitive conclusions have been reached yet, reinforcing the preliminary nature of the current investigative efforts.
"No, we just started. Well, the Senate had just started their investigation. As I told you before, we have been investigating the now-defunct POGO installation. We didn't look into it. The issue of citizenship and all of these things that came up never surfaced," Marcos said.
"But (...) we have ways to go because we’re really trying to find out what the truth is, and, as I said, there is also an ongoing investigation by the Senate. So, let’s allow the executive side and the legislative side to do their work and continue our investigation," Marcos said.
The special team that will investigate claims against Guo and determine whether she is unlawfully "holding or exercising a public office" was formed, the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) declared on Tuesday.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros led a Senate investigation into an online gambling hub in Bamban, which raised doubts about Guo's identification and purported involvement to illegal operations.