NBI ready to probe Bamban mayor

If the Senate asks it to investigate Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said it is ready.

The Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality chaired by Senate Deputy Minority Leader Senator Risa Hontiveros is currently conducting a probe of Guo’s citizenship, unexplained assets and possible connection to a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub.

The panel on Monday said the agencies concerned will be invited to an executive session, which will be followed by another public hearing.

Hontiveros said the revelations about the mayor came from her own words in her Senate testimony and after suspicions were raised about her possible complicity in criminal POGO activities.

The senator said a “lot of evidence” had been gathered against POGOs in the last eight hearings of her committee.

“Among these is the proliferation of fake identification documents, from PhilHealth IDs to passports,” she said, describing it as proof that syndicates “have managed to obtain fraudulent Filipino identities through corrupt individuals in our government agencies.”

Meanwhile, Justice Assistant Secretary and spokesperson Atty. Mico Clavano said that should the Senate request it, the NBI, which is under the Department of Justice (DoJ), could conduct an investigation of Guo.

He said the DoJ was giving the Senate the courtesy of completing its investigation.

Clavano said they would need to receive a request from the Senate. The NBI is the investigation arm of the DoJ.