Alice Guo’s legal team seeks dismissal of perjury and falsification charges, calling the allegations unfounded and based on misunderstandings of her documentation.
Alice Guo’s legal team is urging the dismissal of perjury and falsification charges filed by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). The camp of the dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor is calling the allegations unfounded and based on misunderstandings of her documentation and business dealings.
The legal counsel of Guo argues that the charges are not only unfounded but may also be fueled by political motivations, given her rising influence in the region and her background as a successful businesswoman.
Guo, accused of being a Chinese national, faces accusations of falsifying official records and lying under oath. Her camp has filed a motion to dismiss, arguing that the accusations might be influenced by Guo’s rising influence in the region.
“Respectfully, there is no enough evidence to prove that I actually committed any of these crimes imputed against me. In fact, one can surmise that the purpose of the repetitive allegations in this Complaint is simply to vex, annoy and harass me,” Guo said in her affidavit, as quoted by the Inquirer.
The NBI claims Guo’s documents show discrepancies that misrepresent her identity and affiliations, amounting to perjury and document falsification.
However, Guo’s lawyers counter that any alleged inconsistencies are minor clerical errors, not willful attempts to deceive the public or the authorities. They emphasize that these are “administrative oversights, not criminal acts,” and argue that the legal basis for the charges is weak because the intent to deceive, an essential element in perjury and falsification cases, is missing. Guo’s counsel points out that mistakes in documentation are common, especially in complex business and bureaucratic environments, and do not automatically imply guilt or malicious intent.
“Ito yung preliminary investigation sa kasong perjury saka falsification, well nag-submit kami ng counter-affidavit so basically tapos na ang PI on our part except kung mag-reply yung kabila sasagutin namin, (This is the preliminary investigation for the perjury and falsification case. Well, we submitted a counter-affidavit, so basically, the PI on our part is finished, unless the other side replies, then we will respond.)” Guo’s lawyer Atty. Stephen David told reporters in a chance interview.
David’s comments suggest that Guo’s team is confident in their defense and is prepared to continue challenging the charges if the NBI chooses to escalate the case further.
Guo’s legal team contends that the NBI’s focus on minor inconsistencies suggests an overreach, asserting that no malicious intent or deliberate misrepresentation occurred. By framing the charges as a matter of administrative error rather than criminal action, Guo’s camp hopes to persuade the court to see the allegations as part of an effort to harass and discredit her.
“Siya ang talagang pumirma, pre-signed kasi iyan, so wala akong nakikitang falsification doon kasi siya naman ang pumirma, ngayon kung sino ang nag-notaryo dapat yun ang tanungin natin. (She is the one who actually signed it; it was pre-signed. So, I don’t see any falsification there because she was the one who signed it. Now, if there’s anyone to question, it should be the notary who did it),” David added.
But in latest news, The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) has blocked 1,627 “spurious” birth certificates of foreign nationals, including one linked to Alice Guo, which Senator Grace Poe confirmed during a Senate session on November 7, 2024, as she updated the body on an ongoing audit of fraudulent birth certificates.
Poe, who chairs the Senate finance committee, shared that the PSA’s internal investigation had flagged these documents as fraudulent. The names of the individuals involved have been forwarded to the Bureau of Immigration (BI), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). Of the 1,627 blocked certificates, 18, including Guo's, have been referred to the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) for cancellation.
Comments