It all started with Senate Resolution 977, which sought to inquire into alleged human trafficking, illegal detention, physical abuse and torture in the premises of a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) in Tarlac. An ordinary reading of the full text of the resolution simply ruled out any involvement of the Bamban mayor unless another resolution superseded it.

Truth be told, it’s PAGCOR that is being assailed here for its failure, together with other law enforcement agencies, to “preempt and preclude” the social cost of POGO operations. The relevant legislation or policy recommendation sought to be crafted after this unsettling trial by publicity could only be a classic case of “whom the gods wish to destroy.”

As the inquiry proceeded, however, it seemed to have taken a wrong turn, going in an unintended direction. The incumbent mayor of Bamban was placed on trial following “allegations, suspicions, wild guesses” that went off the grid, entirely irreverent of due process presumably because the senators had not done their homework.

A woman senator graphically suggested that “out of the blue” a young girl from mainland China “evolved” to become mayor of Bamban town in Tarlac, equivocating it to a case of a “trained” Chinese national “infiltrating government and influencing Philippine politics,” which was tantamount to tagging her a Chinese “asset” or spy in intelligence parlance.

One wonders if this rather novel theory actually captured the lay of the land insofar as our bureaucratic institutions are concerned, more so the purpose and intent of Senate Resolution 977 to look into PAGCOR’s indicative incapacity to impose its regulations on POGOs, its licensees and service providers.

Comes now one Honorable Alice Guo, the first woman mayor of Bamban in the province of Tarlac, being implicated or linked to this POGO probe in what amounts to a “trial by media” thereby besmirching her office and reputation as a local chief executive, one duly elected by 16,503 voters.

Is she a fraud? Has she committed perjury as the Comelec kind of asserts? Will the bureau concerned within the Department of the Interior and Local Government move to dislodge her from her elective position?

Would it not be a “disenfranchisement” if she were to be unceremoniously replaced before she could finish her term? Will the Sangguniang Bayan without further notice initiate a move to declare poor Alice persona non grata?

There must be a countless array of implications that could be drawn from this tale of an alleged “trained” Chinese “asset” who can “infiltrate” as to “influence” the affairs of our town and cities. Is this how far Sinophobia has come? Or is this the stuff Netflix documentaries are made of?

There may be a longer string of inconsistencies if the Senate continues to gravitate towards trying to prove Alice Guo is an “asset” out to “infiltrate as to influence” the Philippine political ecosystem. In fact, one can readily dismiss the whole inquiry as a witch hunt or fishing expedition given that its “excesses” have gone beyond the “order of business” of SR 977.

Whatever unverifiable information about the person being linked to illegal POGO activities or as an “asset” or “spy” sent by China, it ill behooves anyone to stigmatize her lest the more fundamental issues (i.e., due process of law, burden of proof) backfire or boomerang and the agencies concerned “self-destruct,” making all none the wiser.

It cannot be denied that Senate hearings have become a kind of refuge for various types of actors – all at taxpayer expense. Are the senators out to dislodge Alice Guo as incumbent mayor, invalidate the 16,503 votes that granted her the people’s mandate (i.e., vox populi, vox Dei), and nullify her Comelec-issued certificate of candidacy?

The earlier the Senate disposes of this inquiry lest it create a “big echo chamber” on social media, the better for all.