MANILA – President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said controversial Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Leal Guo must be investigated amid questions about her Filipino citizenship.
In an interview in Cagayan de Oro City on Thursday night, the Chief Executive said he was as surprised as he knew the rest of politicians in the province of Tarlac, but none of them knew Guo.
“Paano siya tumakbo ng mayor? Kilala ko lahat ng mga taga-Tarlac na politiko, walang may kilala sa kanya. Kaya nagtataka kami kung saan nanggaling ito? Bakit ganito ito? Hindi namin malaman,” Marcos said.
“Kaya kailangan talagang imbestigahan. So, kasabay ng sa Bureau of Immigration, pati… siguro may magkukwestyon na ng kanyang citizenship. ‘Yun lahat iimbestigahan natin ‘yun, kasama ang imbestigasyon, mga hearing na ginagawa ng Senado,” he added.
The Senate committee on women and children is currently investigating Guo and her alleged involvement in an illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub in Bamban, Tarlac.
“Well, matagal na naming inimbestigahan ‘yan, kaya naman nahuli ‘yan eh,” Marcos said, pertaining to the POGO hub in Baofu Land Development Inc., which is being linked to Guo.
“Dahil ni-raid natin ‘yung sa Bamban at nakita natin nga ‘yung mga dokumento, na kinukwestyon ngayon natin ‘yan, kung talagang totoo itong mga ito, at saka paano siya tumakbo ng mayor?” he added.
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
