Stolen identity? Hontiveros says maybe as 'sick' Guo a no-show in Senate probe

MANILA, Philippines — Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo failed on Wednesday to attend the ninth Senate inquiry on human trafficking in Tarlac because she was sick while her relatives who were also invited to the hearing were also a «no show.»

Guo sent a letter to the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality, saying that she was «not fit» to attend the June 26 hearing.

Guo said that the previous hearings had «exposed her to stress and high levels of anxiety» that seriously affected her mental health.

The mayor also said that the filing of charges against her for human trafficking had exposed her to «public ridicule» and tarnished her image.

Guo deplored that she had been «prejudged.» But she maintained that her non-appearance did not mean she wanted to disregard or disobey the committee.

But Sen. Risa Hontiveros, the committee chairman, raised the possibility that the mayor «stole» the identity of the real Alice Leal Guo. She presented a National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) clearance of a certain Alice Leal Guo who was born on July 12, 1986 in Tarlac.

The senator claimed that the mayor's real name was Guo Haping. «Is it a coincidence that this NBI clearance was applied for just a few days before the date of filing of the delayed registration of birth of the other Alice Guo in Tarlac City?» she asked.

«Or is this a case of stolen identity? Has Guo Haping assumed the identity of a Fillipino woman and then nearly a decade later, ran for office? Who is this woman whose name is Alice Leal Guo but does not look like the mayor? Where is she now?» Hontiveros further asked.