MANILA – A Senate committee has ordered the issuance of an warrant of arrest against suspended Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo for skipping anew the investigation on the raided POGO (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator) hub in her town.
Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada on Wednesday moved to issue the arrest order against Guo that was eventually approved by the Senate committee on women, children, family relations, and gender equality chaired by Sen. Risa Hontiveros.
Senators Sherwin Gatchalian and Nancy Binay, for their part, also moved to cite Guo along with her relatives who were issued subpoenas by the Senate panel, in contempt for their non-appearance in the probe.
“Dismissing the subpoenas issued by the committee is a disrespect to the Senate as an institution and its processes to uncover the truth,” Gatchalian said.
Guo’s camp has already informed the Senate panel on Tuesday that the suspended mayor is skipping the probe due to health and mental health concerns, but the letter was not backed by a medical certificate.
Hontiveros, however, said Guo and her lawyers are obliged to respect the laws of the Philippines. She called for the mayor to appear before the Senate committee if she really wants to “clear her name” from allegations.
“Our jurisprudence is clear and consistent. The Supreme Court has recognized that the invocation of the right against self-incrimination can only be done when a question is being asked. Hindi ito dahilan para hindi siya dumalo sa hearing. Gasgas na ito na palusot ng mga umiiwas sa imbestigasyon,” she said.
“Kung tunay na gusto niyang malinis ang pangalan niya, magpakita siya sa hearing, sumagot siya nang maayos, at tigilan niya na ang pagsisinungaling,” she added.
Guo is suspected to be part of a criminal syndicate operated by Chinese nationals after the several documents showed that she was personally involved in the processing of documents for POGO operations.
Guo’s citizenship is also being questioned due to her inconsistent testimonies about her background and the supposed dubious documents regarding her Filipino citizenship.
The National Bureau of Investigation has previously found out that Guo and Chinese passport holder Guo Hua Ping have the same fingerprints./PN
