PAOCC opposes designation of Alice Guo as state witness

PAOCC spokesperson Winston Casio said Guo would need to be able to point to a superior.

The Philippines.- Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) spokesperson Winston John Casio has expressed opposition to the proposal to designate Alice Guo, the suspended mayor of Bamban, Tarlac, as a state witness in an investigation into involving human trafficking linked to offshore gaming operators He said Guo is considered a significant figure rather than the least culpable.

Casio pointed out that to be a state witness, someone must show they are the least guilty in the criminal chain under investigation. However, he recognised that any decision on Guo’s status as a state witness would fall under the jurisdiction of prosecutors, not the PAOCC.

Last Wednesday (July 3), senator Sherwin Gatchalian called on Alice Guo to cooperate with authorities by disclosing critical information regarding the operations and key figures involved in gambling operators linked to illegal activities. The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) is contemplating filing an election offence case against Guo. She was also expelled from the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC).

See also: Philippines: more charges expected against suspended Bamban mayor