MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian raised this question yesterday as he released a document about the supposed real identity of suspended Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo.
The document in black and white has the word “passport” stamped on it and was issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in Fujian on April 3, 1999.
The document has a control number of 14-5679410 for Guo Hua Ping, a student born on Aug. 31, 1990. The document had a stamp of 2003.04.04 as the “date of registry.”
“Alice Guo might be Guo Hua Ping who entered the Philippines on Jan. 12, 2003, when she was 13 years old. Her real birth date is on Aug. 31, 1990,” said Gatchalian.
“This is according to documents provided by the Board of Investments from the Guo family’s application for Special Investors Resident Visa and the Bureau of Immigration. Guo Hua Ping’s registered mother under the SIRV is Lin Wenyi,” Gatchalian added.
Guo’s inconsistencies in her documents would bolster the quo warranto proceedings against her by the Office of the Solicitor General, Gatchalian said.
Guo faced the Senate last week to answer allegations that she was backing a Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) hub in Bamban that was raided last March, where authorities found evidence of human trafficking, serious illegal detention, physical abuse, even torture.
Earlier, Sen. Risa Hontiveros questioned Guo’s alleged ties with criminals, who were fellow incorporators of her company, Baofu Land Development Inc.
In Baofu’s 2019 Securities and Exchange Commission documents, incorporators included Mayor Guo, Filipino national Rachel Joan Malonzo Carreon, Cypriot national Zhiyang Huang, Chinese national Zhang Ruijin and Dominican national Baoying Lin.
Zhang was convicted last month for being linked to the reported “largest money laundering case in Singapore.”
Baoying also faces charges.
According to a report by Channel News Asia, Zhang has “$41 million in assets overseas, including shareholdings in a Philippine real estate development company.”
Guo has maintained she is not a protector of POGO and that she is a Filipino elected official.
In defense of these allegations, Guo, through her lawyer Nicole Rose Margaret Jamilla, submitted a seven-page letter written in Filipino to Hontiveros.
“I am not a protector of Pogo! I have nothing to do with murder, prostitution, human trafficking, love scams, money laundering and other cyber crimes! I didn’t steal!” Guo’s letter stated.
“All I want is for you to listen to me before you judge me, love me before you disappoint me. I’m Filipino! Elected just like you. There is dignity and character!” she said.
Guo writes Palace
Guo is seeking a fair and thorough probe into controversies thrown against her and expressed willingness to cooperate with the government to “uncover the truth.”
In a six-page letter addressed to Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, chairman of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), Guo maintained her innocence over various allegations including espionage, human trafficking, kidnapping and money laundering, branding them as “baseless.”
“I respectfully and humbly request the honorable office of the PAOCC to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into these allegations,” Guo said in Filipino. “These allegations not only tarnish my reputation but also my ability to serve effectively as mayor of Bamban.”
“I am fully committed to finding the truth and supporting your office to thoroughly investigate these matters,” she added.
The letter was submitted by Guo’s lawyers Lorelie Santos and Yvette Gianan before the Malacañang Records Office on Tuesday morning.
Santos said Guo is ready to cooperate with the PAOCC.
“It is simply a letter addressed to the Executive Secretary as the chairman of the PAOCC just expressing the mayor’s intention that she is one with the Commission to uncover the truth and for justice to prevail,” Santos told reporters.
In a cover letter, Guo’s legal counsels claimed the investigation by the Senate and other government agencies “unfortunately... has become conclusory.”
“It would seem that a judgment without due process has already been rendered against her,” Guo’s lawyers said.
The camp of Guo submitted their client’s letter after the PAOCC said it is set to file criminal complaints against the mayor and other personalities in connection with the Bamban POGO hub.
The charges will be filed before the Department of Justice on Friday and would detail Guo’s alleged involvement in Zun Yuan Technology Inc. – a POGO hub located at the Baofu compound behind the Bamban municipal hall, which was raided in March following reports of human trafficking and other illegal activities.
Asked what are the cases they intend to file, PAOCC spokesman Winston John Casio earlier said: “The cases must be related to the search warrant."
The search warrant was for human trafficking.” The PAOCC said the criminal charges to be filed are “serious” and “non-bailable” against Guo and those involved in the Bamban POGO hub.
The Office of the Ombudsman earlier slapped Guo and two local government officials with a six-month preventive suspension while an investigation is underway to determine their culpability over the illegal activities in the POGO hub.
Investigators of the PAOCC are looking into the possible involvement of former Technology and Livelihood Resource Center deputy director general Dennis Cunanan in the operations of two illegal POGO hubs.
Documents obtained by the PAOCC showed that Cunanan was the authorized representative for Hongsheng Gaming Technology Inc. in Bamban.
For Lucky South 99, Casio said yesterday Cunanan represented the POGO in its application for branches in Porac and Laoag City, Ilocos Norte.
Casio said it is still premature to say if Cunanan, who was convicted for involvement in the Priority Development Assistance Fund scam, is criminally linked to the operations of the two POGO hubs. — Marc Jayson Cayabyab, Helen Flores, Emmanuel Tupas