Philippine senators oppose Alice Guo’s plan to run in next year’s elections

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian has urged COMELEC to enforce legal measures to disqualify Guo from seeking public office.

The Philippines.- A group of senators are opposing the possibility that Alice Guo, the suspended mayor of Bamban, Tarlac, could stand for election next year. Senator Sherwin Gatchalian issued a statement saying such a move would be “another brazen attempt to undermine the country’s laws.”

He said: “The Commission on Elections (Comelec) itself approved the recommendation of its Law Department to take action against Guo for violating the Omnibus Election Code through blatant misrepresentation. One of the key findings is the matching fingerprints between Alice Guo and Chinese passport holder Guo Hua Ping.

“Also, she falsely claimed to be a Filipino born in Tarlac, while official records show that she is a Chinese national, born in Fujian to her Chinese mother, Lin Wenyi.”

Senate president pro tempore Jinggoy Estrada noted that candidates must be Filipino and must provide accurate information about themselves. Estrada said: “This privilege stated in our Constitution is only for our fellow citizens and can never be given to fake Filipinos).”

Senator Joel Villanueva pointed out that while the Comelec is mandated to accept Guo’s certificate of candidacy (COC) as part of their ministerial duty, there is an ongoing material misrepresentation case against her from when she ran for mayor of Bamban in 2022, in addition to several cases filed by other agencies related to her true identity.

“It would be absurd if she were allowed to run again. What Guo Hua Ping and his POGO sponsors are doing is an insult to our laws,” he added.

Last week, Guo’s attorney, Stephen David, told the Department of Justice her client was planning to seek re-election. Guo faces money laundering charges related to alleged links to offshore gambling operators but Comelec said it would accept her candidacy “for now.”

“If a candidate is facing charges, as long as there is no final judgment or conviction, he or she can still run in the elections. It means somebody has to file a petition to question his/her candidacy,” Comelec chairperson George Erwin Garcia said in a radio interview on Friday.