Guo seeks dismissal of misrepresentation case

MANILA, Philippines —  Dismissed Bamban mayor Alice Guo yesterday sought the junking of her misrepresentation case before the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

In a nine-page counter-affidavit, Guo maintained that she did not make false representation, and asked the Comelec to dismiss the complaint filed by its law department.

“(W)hen I filed my Certificate of Candidacy, I have made declarations on my personal information, such as my citizenship and domicile, on the basis of the legitimate documents in my possession, which documents were issued by the Philippine government and which remain valid and existing since the time I filed my COC and still as of this writing,” Guo said.

“In view of the foregoing, it is respectfully prayed of this Honorable Commission that the instant Complaint for violation of Section 74 in relation to Section 262 of the Omnibus Election Code (Material Representation) be dismissed,” she added.

Guo said the filing of the complaint by the Comelec law department is premature since the question of her citizenship remains pending.

“Unless otherwise declared to be invalid, said birth certificate is deemed valid and regular on its face. Thus, it is conclusive proof of my identity as a Filipino,” she explained.

According to Guo, the allegations against her are solely anchored on the comparative examinations conducted by the National Bureau of Investigation - Forensic and Scientific Research Service and the Comelec - Election Records and Statistics Department.

Comelec Chairman George Garcia said the law department is expected to terminate the preliminary investigation following the filing of Guo’s counter-affidavit and submit its recommendation on the complaint by next week.

The Comelec chief also dismissed the perception that Guo is being singled out in facing misrepresentation charges.

“I want to prove that we did not single out mayor Guo. We regularly have misrepresentation cases,” Garcia said, noting that just a few days ago, the law department recommended the filing of misrepresentation charges against five former candidates.

It is possible that a notorious Chinese syndicate helped Guo flee the country, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said