Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian Speaks on Cases Vs. Mayor Alice Guo
SHERWIN GATCHALIAN – The Senator said that Mayor Alice Guo must surface whether she wants it or not if she does not want to lose in cases filed against her.
Amid the pending arrest order issued by the Senate against Mayor Alice Guo, the suspended Mayor of Bamban, Tarlac has yet to surface. Even Senate President Chiz Escudero is disappointed over the PNP for not being able to locate the suspended Mayor.
Escudero stressed that the Bureau of Immigration said that Guo is still in the country. However, the PNP has yet to locate her until now. The Senate President also made mention the pending arrest order against several other personalities as well.
Mayor Alice Guo is facing accusations of alleged involvement in the illegal POGO operations in her town. She is also facing questions regarding her identity after her fingerprints matched with the fingerprints of Chinese national Guo Hua Ping.
The Office of the Solicitor General has filed a quo warranto petition against Mayor Guo. The Senate Panel is also up to file formal charges against Mayor Guo as per a previous update from Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian. The decision was made after she skipped another Senate hearing scheduled last July 29.
The suspended Mayor of Bamban, Tarlac was also absent during the July 10 hearing set by the Senate over the illegal POGO operations in the country. It urged the Senate committee to cite her for contempt and release an arrest order against the Mayor.
However, following the arrest order against Mayor Guo, the authorities visited all the registered addresses of the suspended Mayor but found negative presence. Previously, her camp claimed that she’s worried about her safety. She also claimed that she’s ready to face the allegations with evidence at a proper forum.
According to Mayor Alice Guo, she is choosing her health and her peace of mind. However, there are now several charges filed against the suspended Mayor by the different bodies.
Based on a recent report on ABS-CBN News, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian stressed that Mayor Alice Guo must surface if she does not want to lose in the cases filed against her. According to the Senator in an interview with TeleRadyo Serbisyo, she should not always be represented by her lawyer.
“Sa gusto niya at ayaw niya dapat siyang lumabas at humarap sa mga kasong ito kung hindi matatalo siya,” Gatchalian said.
With regards to the quo warranto petition, Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra said that Guo can be represented by her lawyer as it is a special civil action. If the quo warranto is granted or her dishonesty is proven, the mayor may be ousted from office.