MANILA – The camp of Bamban, Tarlac’s Mayor Alice Guo has filed a motion to lift the preventive suspension order issued by the Office of the Ombudsman earlier this week.
Guo’s lawyers Stephen David, Nicole Jamilla, and Lorelie Santos on Thursday filed a motion for reconsideration and an urgent motion to lift the preventive suspension against their client.
They cited the supposed absence of strong evidence of guilt regarding the complaints filed by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) against Guo.
Guo, along with Edwin Ocampo and Adenn Sigua, were preventively suspended without pay by the Ombudsman while they are under investigation for alleged links to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGO).
The DILG previously said the taskforce created to investigate Guo’s link to illegal activities of the POGO in her town has some “troubling findings of serious illegal acts which may have severe legal implications.”
“The DILG recommended to the Ombudsman the issuance of a preventive suspension against Mayor Guo, to prevent any influence on the continuing investigations of our and other agencies,” the DILG said.
“The DILG will continue to cooperate with the Ombudsman and other investigative bodies on this important issue, united in our shared mission of protecting our local institutions and furthering public interest,” it added.
The controversy against Guo started after authorities raided a 10-hectare area operated by Zun Yuan Technology Inc. on March 13 and found several devices said to be linked to POGO operations.
The complex was previously raided in 2023 when it was operated by Hongsheng Technology Inc., which is now being linked to Guo as she applied for the letter of no objection for the complex’s license to operate.
The identity of Guo was put in question as she claimed in a Senate hearing that she has forgotten or has no knowledge of her personal details like her place of birth and name of school attended.
Guo only has a certificate of live birth, wherein it was declared that her father is a Filipino, but her father’s business records showed that he declared he is a Chinese national.
Additionally, Guo only registered as a voter in 2021 and won the mayoral election in Bamban in 2022 despite having no background in politics./PN
