Mayor Guo wants mom to come out

MANILA, Philippines — Will the real mother of Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo please come out?

To finally settle questions on her nationality, the camp of the embattled mayor is appealing for her biological mother to step forward.

“If you are the mother… if you really love your daughter, come out. Your daughter is going through this. You’re the only one who can say that she is your daughter,” Guo’s lawyer Stephen David said in Filipino over “Storycon” on One News yesterday.

Guo, in an earlier interview with ABS-CBN News, claimed that she was born out of wedlock. Her biological mother, she said, was a kasambahay or helper of her Chinese father. She also claimed that her mother left her after she was born.

The mayor’s claim regarding her mother’s identity was contrary to the contents of her birth certificate, which was registered late with the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

It identified her parents as Angelito Guo and Amelia Leal, who were supposedly married and had two other children.

A PSA official earlier told senators that Leal does not have existing records with the agency.

Asked about the possible falsification of documents, David said the Bamban mayor cannot be held criminally liable as she was not the one who registered her birth at the PSA.

“What she knows is that she is the daughter of her father’s helper. But the birth certificate in question, who submitted that?... She did not submit it, she has no participation in that regard, so how can she have any criminal liability?” added the lawyer.

Guo’s father, whom the mayor confirmed to be a Chinese national, reportedly was the one who registered the mayor’s birth when she was 17 years old. He will be invited to the next Senate hearing.

During the interview, David expressed support for the Senate’s plan to summon others involved in the matter, as well as to hold an executive session in the next hearing.

Guo’s lawyer said they have not received any formal communication regarding possible cases against the mayor.

He also confirmed plans to file charges against those who are making “below the belt” claims, such as those claiming to be Guo’s father or siblings.

“When you malign the reputation of someone,