Marcos says photos with Alice Guo prove nothing

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said his photos with Bamban Mayor Alice Guo, who is currently facing controversies over suspicions about her citizenship and alleged connections to an offshore gaming operator, mean nothing. 

Guo posted photos of her and Marcos last week after the chief executive claimed to be unaware of her existence. Additional photos of Guo and Marcos from a campaign sortie during the 2022 elections also surfaced. 

“That proves nothing. You know how many pictures I take during the campaign period, maybe a thousand in a day,” Marcos said on Saturday. 

Marcos earlier said that none of the local politicians in Tarlac had heard of Guo before she won the 2022 polls. 

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Saturday recommended a preventive suspension for Guo amid questions about her personal background and alleged involvement in Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) activities, human trafficking, and surveillance. 

The Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) on Tuesday announced the creation of a special team that would look into allegations against Guo and determine if she is illegally “holding or exercising a public office.”

Guo’s identity and alleged links to illegal activities were brought into question following a Senate hearing into an online gambling hub in Bamban led by Sen. Risa Hontiveros. — Gaea Katreena Cabico