Suspended Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo may face election offense charges from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) following revelations from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) that her fingerprints match those of Chinese passport holder Guo Hua Ping, said poll body Chairman George Erwin Garcia.
“If there is evidence, yes, it’s an election offense for misrepresentation,” said Garcia in a Viber message when asked if the poll body can file a case against Guo regarding her Filipino citizenship claim in her certificate of candidacy in the 2022 polls.
However, Garcia said there is no timeline yet as to when the Comelec could file the case.
“We will wait for the senate investigation and the action of the SolGen (Solicitor General),” he said.
Last Thursday, Senator Risa Hontiveros revealed that the NBI had confirmed the fingerprint match between Mayor Guo and Guo Hua Ping.
“It means, they are the fingerprints of one and the same person. This confirms what I have suspected all along. Mayor Alice is a fake Filipino — or should I say, Guo Hua Ping.
She is a Chinese national masquerading as a Filipino citizen to facilitate crimes being committed by [Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators],” Hontiveros said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra said on Friday that Mayor Guo’s removal as Bamban town chief through a quo warranto case might happen sooner.
Guevarra emphasized that the matched fingerprint result “will be extremely useful” in filing the case against the suspended official.
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The election commission is considering filing charges against suspended Bamban Mayor Alice Guo following an investigation that suggests identity misrepresentation.
The inquiry, conducted by the National Bureau of investigative agency, bared that Guo's fingerprints match with those of a foreign passport holder - Guo Hua Ping.
Commission on Elections chair George Garcia acknowledged that if substantiated, this could constitute an electoral violation.
“If there is evidence, yes, it’s an election offense for misrepresentation,” said Garcia in a Viber message when asked if the poll body can file a case against Guo regarding her Filipino citizenship claim in her certificate of candidacy in the 2022 polls.
However, Garcia said there is no timeline yet as to when the Comelec could file the case.
“We will wait for the senate investigation and the action of the SolGen (Solicitor General),” he said.
The commission is awaiting further developments from a legislative inquiry and the government's legal advisor before proceeding.
Recently, Senator Risa Hontiveros disclosed the investigative agency's findings, suggesting the mayor might be impersonating a citizen to abet illegal activities linked to offshore gaming. The legal advisor also noted that these findings could expedite legal actions to remove the mayor from office. The case's progress hinges on the conclusive evidence of identity fraud.
“It means, they are the fingerprints of one and the same person. This confirms what I have suspected all along. Mayor Alice is a fake Filipino — or should I say, Guo Hua Ping.
“She is a Chinese national masquerading as a Filipino citizen to facilitate crimes being committed by [Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators],” Hontiveros said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra said on Friday that Mayor Guo’s removal as Bamban town chief through a quo warranto case might happen sooner.
Guevarra emphasized that the matched fingerprint result “will be extremely useful” in filing the case against the suspended official.
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