President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the government should thoroughly investigate Bamban Mayor Alice Guo and look into her real identity after she failed to provide details on her early life and background during a Senate hearing.
In a media interview in Cagayan de Oro City on Thursday, Marcos expressed concern over Guo’s rise to power as he highlighted his unfamiliarity with her amid her questioned background.
Marcos said he wanted to know the truth behind the allegedly dubious documents on her citizenship.
“Well, we have been investigating this for a long time, which is why she was caught. Because we raided Bamban and discovered documents. We are now questioning whether they are genuine, and how she could even run for mayor,” Marcos said in Filipino.
“Because I know all the politicians from Tarlac and none of them know her. So we are wondering where she came from. Why is this happening? We can’t figure it out,” Marcos added.
Guo came under scrutiny during the Senate probe into the purportedly illicit activities at the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) center in Bamban.
Guo went viral on social media after she told the Senate hearing she couldn’t recall the house where she was born, why her birth was registered 17 years later, and details about her homeschool program.
Senator Risa Hontiveros, who presided over the 7 May hearing on the raided POGO compound in Bamban, said Guo “came out of nowhere” to become mayor and she may be a “Chinese asset” trying to infiltrate Philippine politics and government.
Collaborative
The President said the probe of Guo should involve the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) and the Bureau of Immigration.
“It really needs to be investigated. Along with the Bureau of Immigration, someone will probably question her citizenship. We will investigate all of this together with the Senate hearings,” Marcos said.
He said the matter concerns national security and the integrity of local governance. “The law is already there. We were not vigilant enough, that was the problem,” he noted.
“And perhaps others neglected it. Because there’s a lot of money involved; they pay, they can bribe. So that’s what we’ll watch out for, to prevent this from happening again,” he added.
Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra said they are gathering information on Guo from the Commission on Elections, DILG, Department of Education, Philippine Statistics Authority, BI and other government agencies.
Menardo said he has formed a special team, adding, “if it could be established by proof, the OSG will commence quo warranto proceedings to oust the person concerned.”