MANILA – Criminal charges are set to be filed against suspended Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) said.
According to PAOCC spokesperson Winston John Casio, the charges are in relation to the alleged illegal activities in a compound located behind her town’s municipal hall.
Aside from Guo, also to be named respondent to the charges are others who may be involved in the supposed illegal operations.
“The members of the interagency council — composed of PAOCC, Department of Justice, Office of the Solicitor General, Philippine National Police, among others— will meet this Tuesday to finally decide on the charges to be filed against the incorporators, beneficial owners of Zun Yuan, the Bamban operation,” Casio said.
“So, we can expect charges; criminal charges will be filed against a good number of people with regards to the Bamban operation,” he added, saying that the charges to be filed are “serious” and “non-bailable.”
Casio also said Guo’s name and signature “are in so many documents” and they also have other pieces of evidence that can pin the controversial mayor further to criminal cases.
“Until such time cases were filed in court, I don’t want to give the lawyers of Mayor Guo what types of evidence we have on-hand, specifically kasi baka makapaghanda,” Casio said.
He added: “Masasabi lang po namin we have strong evidence that will support the criminal allegations against Mayor Alice Guo and a good number of people in the Bamban operations.”
The Office of the Ombudsman suspended Guo and two other local officials earlier this month following the administrative complaint filed by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).
Guo appealed her suspension and that the complaints filed against her over her alleged links to criminal activities of POGO in her town, saying they were “baseless.”/PN
