Mayor Alice Guo Faces Quo Warranto Case That Might Lead to Removal

Mayor Alice Guo of Bamban, Tarlac, is now facing a quo warranto case that could lead to her removal from office. On Monday, Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra filed the petition against the suspended mayor at the Manila Regional Trial Court.

The case has been assigned to Branch 34 of the Manila Court, under Judge Liwliwa Hidalgo-Bucu.

A quo warranto petition, as defined by Rule 66 of the Rules of Court, is a legal action against someone who unlawfully holds or exercises a public office or position.

According to the petition from the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), Guo is “usurping or unlawfully holding” the mayoral position in Bamban, Tarlac, due to her alleged ineligibility. The OSG’s 45-page petition also questions her citizenship, citing evidence that her Chinese name is Guo Hua Ping and claiming she is not Filipino.

The OSG provided records showing that Guo Hua Ping, born in Fujian, China, on August 31, 1990, previously held a Chinese passport. They emphasized that Filipino citizenship is crucial for public office holders to ensure their loyalty and dedication to the country.

The petition also noted that Guo’s parents are listed as Chinese nationals, Lin Wenyi and Guo Jian Zhong, contradicting her claims of having Filipino parents, Angelito Guo and Amelia Leal. The OSG argues that the latter names were fabricated to falsify her birth records.

Additionally, the OSG accused Guo of serious dishonesty for using the name ‘Alice Leal Guo’ in her public and private dealings, which differs from the name she registered with the Bureau of Immigration. They also cited her repeated misrepresentation of herself as a Filipino citizen in her passport, voter registration, and certificate of candidacy, as well as her failure to provide truthful answers during Senate hearings on the Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) industry.

The OSG plans to present 11 witnesses, including officials from the Bureau of Immigration, the Philippine Statistics Authority, and other agencies.

The Inquirer reached out to Guo’s camp for a comment but had not received a response by Monday night.

The last quo warranto petition filed by the OSG was in March 2018, when Solicitor General Jose Calida sought to nullify Maria Lourdes Sereno’s 2012 appointment as chief justice following her criticism of then-President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war.

Source: Inquirer.net