Ombudsman Rules for Mayor Alice Guo’s Dismissal After Finding her Guilty of Misconduct
MAYOR ALICE GUO’S DISMISSAL – The Office of the Ombudsman ruled to dismiss the suspended Bamban Mayor and forfeit all her retirement benefits.
Among the biggest issues that became trending topics in the Philippines this year were about suspended Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo. The accusations of her alleged involvement in the Philippine Offshore Gaming operations in her town and the questions on her identity gathered different reactions.
The questions about Mayor Alice Guo’s identity surfaced amid her inconsistent documents and testimonies. The National Bureau of Investigation or NBI also found that Mayor Guo’s fingerprints matched with the fingerprints of Chinese national Guo Hua Ping.
Her claims during a Senate hearing that she grew up in a farm and she was homeschooled went trending on social media for a time. Her claim that she was homeschooled was previously refuted. Guo Hua Ping is a Chinese national who entered the country in 2003.
The fingerprints of one of the brothers of Mayor Guo also matched with the fingerprints of another Chinese nationa. However, the authorities have yet to locate the suspended Bamban, Tarlac Mayor. The Senate has released an arrest order against the Mayor after she skipped two (2) hearings set by the upper chamber.
According to Mayor Guo’s camp, the suspended Mayor was traumatized for how she was treated in the previous Senate hearings. Attorney Stephen David also said that the Mayor Guo has no more plans of attending Senate hearings in the future.
Guo, in a lengthy post, previously expressed that she is ready to face the allegations against her with evidence at a proper forum. She also advised the senators to focus in other critical issues and her suggestion did not sit well with Senate President Chiz Escudero who responded to Guo to not tell the senators what to do.
Several complaints were filed against the suspended Bamban, Tarlac Mayor. The Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) filed a quo warranto petition against Mayor Guo challenging her qualification to be in public service in the country amid questions about her identity.
The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) also approved a misrepresentation complaint against Mayor Alice Guo. Recently, the Office of the Ombudsman released its verdict on the matters involving the suspended Mayor of Bamban, Tarlac.
Based on a report on ABS-CBN News, Mayor Alice Guo’s dismissal is ordered by the Office of the Ombudsman after she was found guilty of grave misconduct. The Ombudsman also ruled the forfeiture of all the retirement benefits of the Mayor.
Aside from Mayor Alice Guo’s dismissal and the forfeiture of all her retirement benefits, the Office of the Ombudsman also ordered her “perpetual disqualification to reenter government service”. The Office of the Ombudsman cited her acquisition of property that became a site for the POGO hub.
“This is a clear conflict of interest. The element of corruption, willful intent to violate the law… are all quite evident. Guo must be held liable for the same,” the Ombudsman said.