Lawyer of Mayor Alice Guo Says She’ll Skip Senate Hearing Today
ALICE GUO – The Bamban, Tarlac Mayor will not attend the Senate Hearing set today because she’s “traumatized” according to her lawyer.
One of the most popular names in the Philippines now is the name of Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Guo. Her identity is being questioned amid the inconsistency in her documents and testimonies. She was questioned by Senators Risa Hontiveros and Sherwin Gatchalian in the previous Senate hearings.
Mayor Guo is serving Bamban, Tarlac since June 30, 2022 as its mayor. She is accused to have illegal involvement to the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) after the raids in Bamban since last year. Her identity is being questioned as well. Guo’s Birth Certificate is facing cancellation.
Guo claims that she cannot recall the location where she was born but her Birth Certificate states that she was born in Barangay Matatalaib in Tarlac which was still a municipality then. According to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the fingerprints of the Bamban, Tarlac Mayor matched with the fingerprints of Guo Hua Ping.
The said matching of fingerprints suggests that Mayor Guo and Guo Hua Ping may be the same person. Currently, investigations are still ongoing. A Senate Hearing over her alleged involvement in POGOs is set today, however, according to her lawyer, she will not be able to attend the hearing.
Based on a report on ABS-CBN News, Atty. Stephen David said that Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo was “traumatized” by the treatment to her so she won’t be able to attend the Senate hearing set today. The lawyer also said that the Mayor is “emotionally and physically drained” by the multiple accusations against her.
Following the statement of the lawyer of Mayor Guo, based on the report, Sen. Risa Hontiveros raised a reminder that Mayor Guo and her lawyers have the obligations to respect the Philippine laws. She also slammed the reason of the camp of the Mayor that they are averting “self-incrimination”.
According to Senator Hontiveros, it is already an overused alibi by the people who want to evade investigations. The Senator stressed that the Supreme Court has recognized that the invocation of the self-incrimination is only possible when there is a question raised. According to the Senator, it is not an excuse for the Bamban, Tarlac Mayor not to attend the hearing.