Mayor Liseldo Calugay Insists He and Alice Guo Are Just Friends
LISELDO CALUGAY – The mayor of Sual, Pangasinan, insisted that his relationship with dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo is strictly a friendship. This statement came after senators presented photos of the two wearing matching “couple shirts” and exchanging campaign shirts during the 2022 elections.
In a Senate hearing on Tuesday, September 17, Senator Risa Hontiveros, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality, asked Calugay if Guo’s previous statement—claiming they were only friends—was true. “Opo, Madam Chair, kaibigan lang po,” Calugay replied.
Hontiveros then probed Calugay further, asking how close they were as friends, and showed photos of him wearing Guo’s campaign shirt while they participated in a campaign caravan together.
“Bakit nyo po suot ang campaign shirt ni Alice Guo tapos kasama pa siya sa kampanya n’yo rin? Kumbaga, nagsusuotan kayo ng campaign shirt ng isa’t isa at nandoon kayo sa kampanya ng isa’t isa,” Hontiveros asked. “Magkaibigan lang po kami. ‘Yun pong tshirt po na sinasabi ninyo, binigay po sa akin ‘yan ni Ate Che (staff niya),” Calugay explained.
The Sual mayor added that Guo attended his victory caravan during the last election because he invited her as a friend. “Yung pong nakasakay ako sa sasakyan, ‘yan po ‘yung motorcade po namin na ininvite ko po siya sa amin dahil ininvite din po ako nong nanalo siya.” Calugay stressed that Guo wasn’t the only politician present at his victory caravan.
Meanwhile, Senator Jinggoy Estrada presented two more photos of Calugay and Guo wearing what appeared to be “couple shirts.” However, Calugay denied this again. Senator Joel Villanueva expressed skepticism over Calugay’s answers, noting the photos of them together. “Huwag na tayong magpaligoy-ligoy pa, may relasyon ba kayo ni Alice? Gusto mo ba siya? Gusto ka niya?” Villanueva asked. “Wala pong ganiyan,” Calugay responded.
When asked if they had a partnership, shared a bank account, or a business together, Calugay firmly stated, “Wala rin po.”