The investigation into the dubious citizenship of Alice Guo, the incumbent mayor of Bamban, Tarlac, who is suspected to be a Chinese asset, continues to gain traction.
In the House of Representatives, several members have expressed an intention to launch a parallel probe of Guo citing a potential threat to national security.
Meanwhile, the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) has formed a team to investigate Guo and determine whether the mayor is legally holding or exercising a public office, which could lead to the filing a quo warranto action against the mayor.
In reaction to these developments, Manila Rep. Benny Abante said Guo should be ousted if the allegations about her nationality are proven true.
“You know this is very blatant. Let’s look carefully at the answers of this Bamban Mayor Alice Guo if she’s really Filipino,” said Abante in a press briefing yesterday.
“You know she cannot be a mayor once it is proven that she is not Filipino. She should be ousted as mayor because for me they want to control not only the West Philippine Sea but also the entire Philippines,” he said.
Guo is under scrutiny in the Senate over her alleged involvement in an illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub, as well as questions about her citizenship.
Senators have raised doubts about her citizenship status, pointing to the lack of official records to substantiate her claim of being a Filipino.
Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said the OSG’s probe was necessary to preserve the integrity of the electoral process and protect the rights of natural-born Filipinos.
“The OSG just wants to protect our electoral processes that are open only to natural-born Filipinos,” Adiong said.
He underscored the significance of ensuring that public officials meet the requirements set forth in the Constitution, particularly regarding citizenship.
The Commission on Elections, which disclosed that Guo only registered as a voter in 2018, has warned that the mayor may be charged with perjury.
No less than President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. himself called into question the identity of Guo.
“I know all the politicians in Tarlac and no one knows her. We’re wondering where she came from. How did this happen? We don’t know,” the President said.
Marcos directed the Bureau of Immigration to thoroughly investigate Guo alongside the Senate.
However, in a surprising turn of events, Marcos found himself in an unexpected position after photos during the 2022 campaign resurfaced online.
Four photos showed Guo with Marcos, his sister Senator Imee Marcos, his cousin Speaker Martin Romualdez, and former presidential legal counsel Harry Roque, who lost in his Senate bid, seemingly campaigning for the UniTeam.