BAMBAN mayor Alice Guo insisted that she is indeed a Filipino citizen.
The local official of Bamban, Tarlac, continued to receive backlash after having an “iffy” identity after being linked to the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub in her town.
The POGO hub was raided in March following suspected illegal activities such as human trafficking and serious human illegal detention happening in the area. Senator Sherwin Gatchalian later revealed the hub’s recovered electrical bill under Mayor Guo’s name.
A registered vehicle under the name of Guo was also found in the area. In her defense, the mayor claimed that the vehicle had been sold a while ago.
She said that the property that was recovered within the POGO site was previously hers. However, the account names might have not been transferred to the current owners.
In the Senate hearing, Senator Risa Hontiveros said that the mayor’s birth certificate specified that Guo’s father was a Filipino. However, in different business records, Guo’s father was registered as a Chinese citizen.
Guo’s questionable identity sparked conversations.
A copy of her certificate of candidacy shared by the Commissions of Elections (Comelec) with the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality indicated that her full name is Alice Leal Guo.
Information obtained by the GMA Integrated News research showed that Guo was born in 1986 in Tarlac, Tarlac City.
It stated that she is 35 years old with a residential address in Bamban, Tarlac, where she is also a registered voter. In October 2021, documents showed that Guo has been a resident of Bamban for more than 18 years.
In Ian Cruz’s report on GMA’s “24 Oras,” Guo proclaimed at her April 2, 2022 rally that she was a Filipino citizen.
“Ako po si Alice Guo, taga Barangay Virgen delos Remedios. Ang nanay ko po ay Pilipina. Ang tatay ko po ay isang Chinese,” the offical said. “Ako po ay isang Filipino citizen at may pusong Bamban.” she added.
According to her Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOGE), she declared that she spent more than P134,000 on her campaign. However, she did not declare any contributions from political party or any other sources as she ran as an independent candidate.
In data gathered by Comelec and the ABS-CBN Investigative and Research group, Bamban has a total of 45,008 registered votes in 2022. In the result of the 2022 elections, Guo won over her opponent Joey Salting by 500 votes.
In a report by ABS-CBN News, Tarlac official provincial officer Arvin Cabalu claimed that they didn’t know about the illegal POGO hub nor were they familiar with Guo’s background.
Cabalu told Teleradyo Serbisyo that they were surprised with the whole issue. He said he was aware with of buildings in the Baofu compound but were not aware that it was being used in illegal activities.
Controversy and backlash
Guo continues to trend on social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter). Many netizens are sharing their thoughts about the local official and her involvement with the raided POGO.
Senator Gatchalian also posted on his official X account about how hard it was to believe Guo because her answer was always “hindi ko alam.”
A netizen noted how Guo didn’t know how homeschooling worked in the country, as she appeared to have no idea whether it was recognized by the Department of Education (DepEd).
