The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is expecting the recommendation of the fact-finding committee in charge of examining the poll documents of suspended Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo to be out this week.
This would determine if the mayor committed misrepresentation in her certificate of candidacy (COC) when she ran in the May 2022 polls, according to Comelec chairperson George Erwin Garcia.
“Sabi ng experts natin, hanggang bukas masa-submit ang findings. Hopefully ang Law department, makapagbigay ng recommendation hanggang Biyernes. Nagkaroon lamang ng bagyo kaya di natapos investigation (Our experts said the findings may be submitted until tomorrow (Wednesday). Hopefully the Law department can submit a recommendation until Friday. We had a typhoon so our investigation was disrupted),” he said in a press conference in Pampanga, shortly after visiting a local office in Tarlac.
Garcia said the en banc would immediately act on the fact-finding body's recommendation.
“We would check if their findings are correct. Was there an abuse of discretion? If there is nothing to be revised, we will adopt it immediately," he said.
Garcia said the poll body's experts are also looking into the Election Day Computerized Voters List (EDCVL) to check whether Guo was able to vote in the last two elections.
An EDCVL is a list where voters sign and affix their thumbmarks during election day. It also contains the serial number of used ballots to prove that a person has voted.
"Naglagay ba siya ng fingerprints sa mga dokumento na yan, at yan ba ay tugma sa mga fingerprints na yan sa mga meron ang Comelec sa COC at nung nag apply bilang botante. At tumutugma ba yan sa mga dokumento na binigay ng National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). Gusto namin alamin lahat ng fingerprints ba na yan ay iisa lang na tao (Did she affix her fingerprints in these documents and are these similar with the fingerprints in the COCs that the Comelec have when she applied as a voter? Do these match those in the documents given by the NBI? We want to know if these fingerprints belong to one person),” he said.
PNP: Hunt vs. Guo relentless
Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said it is sparing no effort in finding Guo, whose arrest has been ordered by the Senate.
PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo made the remark after Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada threatened that he would push for a cut in the budget of the police force and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for next year if they fail to arrest Guo within a month.
“Again this is a challenge to the PNP and other law enforcement agencies and we accept it. As I have said, the PNP will exert all efforts within our powers and authority to bring Mayor Alice Guo and others to the jurisdiction of the Senate,” she added. (with report from Lloyd Caliwan/PNA)
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