Lawmakers back filing of case vs Tarlac Mayor Guo

MANILA, Philippines — The plan of the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) to file a quo warranto case against Mayor Alice Guo of Bamban town in Tarlac got the backing of two members of the House of Representatives.

A quo warranto is a legal remedy that is used to challenge a person’s rights to hold a public or corporate office.

At a briefing last Thursday, Reps. Bienvenido Abante Jr. of Manila and Zia Alonto Adiong of Lanao del Sur declared that it is imperative to ensure that public servants fulfill all the requirements for holding public office.

According to Abante, Guo should be stripped of mayorship if it is proven that she is not a Filipino.

“This is blatant already, this Bamban Mayor Alice Guo. (Based) on her answers, we must look if she is really a Filipino. She should not be mayor if she cannot prove her Filipino citizenship. It’s only proper that she be removed as mayor,” he said.

Guo is facing investigation at the Senate for her alleged involvement in the illegal operation of POGOs in the province.

Her identity as a Filipino is being questioned as her responses concerning her birth and family background were vague.

Abante noted that it is important to verify Guo’s Filipino citizenship as he expressed concerns over her “potential foreign influence.”

“China does not only want to control the West Philippine Sea, but the entire Philippines and even universities,” he maintained, apparently referring to the influx of Chinese students near the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites in Cagayan province.

For his part, Adiong underscored the importance of preserving the integrity of the electoral process and protecting the rights of natural-born Filipinos. “OSG just wanted to protect our electoral processes which should be for … Filipinos,” he said.

Adiong raised personal concerns regarding the citizenship acquisition process, particularly its apparent inconsistencies and inefficiencies. He sought a comprehensive review of local registry procedures.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has been conducting a probe on Guo in connection with both the issue on her citizenship, as well as the controversial POGO hub in her town.

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