MANILA, Philippines — Another “Alice Guo” applied for a clearance with the National Bureau of Investigation in 2005, but her fingerprints did not match those of the suspended Bamban, Tarlac mayor who went by the same name but who turned out to be a Chinese national named Guo Hua Ping, NBI Director Jaime Santiago said yesterday.
He revealed the development at a press briefing at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) central office in Manila, days after confirming that the fingerprints of Guo Hua Ping and Alice Leal Guo are identical.
Santiago said the NBI is ready to assist the Comelec and the Senate in whatever steps they would take regarding the case of the suspended Bamban town mayor.
The Office of the Solicitor General is preparing a quo warranto case against Guo to strip her of her mayoral post and pave the way for the filing of other cases.
Santiago emphasized the reliability of dactyloscopy (fingerprint analysis) and reiterated that the NBI’s findings confirmed that Guo Hua Ping and Alice Leal Guo are one and the same person.
At a separate press briefing at NBI headquarters, Santiago expressed belief that the woman in the NBI clearance supposedly issued to Guo was instructed to apply for the document using Guo’s name to confuse the authorities.
The NBI is now offering a reward for information on the whereabouts of the woman in the 2005 NBI clearance.
Meanwhile, Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said they would compare supposed fingerprint records of Guo with those provided by the NBI.
Garcia stated that while the commission would consider the findings of the NBI, it would also conduct its own investigation with the help of the poll body’s handwriting and fingerprint experts.
“In all courts, even the Supreme Court, they always accept the findings of the NBI which have high credibility,” Garcia said.
He explained that the commission routinely conducts examinations of questionable documents, including ballots, election returns and signatures.
The Comelec, Garcia said, will use the NBI’s findings to guide its investigation and compare the fingerprints it has on file, including those from the certificate of candidacy (COC) and voter registration applications.
The Comelec chairman added that he instructed the commission’s law department on July 2 to get sample signatures of Guo.
“We will direct our election records and statistics department to likewise conduct the examination so they (NBI) have it, we also have it and then we can compare their examination and ours,” Garcia said.
“We will officially request the report findings from the NBI so that the evidences can be better used in building up the cases, if there are any,” he said.
Garcia emphasized the importance of ensuring that candidates in the coming elections provide accurate and truthful information.
Under the Omnibus Election Code, candidates found falsifying information on their COCs can be disqualified or slapped with criminal charges and imprisoned for up to six years.
“If it can be proven that there is really heavy evidence, then we also want to teach a lesson to those who will file for candidacy this October,” Garcia said.
State witness
Meanwhile, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said Guo could be considered a state witness in unearthing illegal POGO operations.
“If there is information that will help in the investigation of those related to POGO hubs,” Gatchalian said over TV5 when asked if Guo could be a state witness in the case buildup against POGOs.
Under Republic Act 6981 or the Witness Protection, Security and Benefit Act, any person who has knowledge of or information on the commission of a crime and has testified or is testifying or is willing to testify can be admitted to the WPP.
“In the POGO hub in Bamban, it appears that all the papers, electricity and water applications are in her name, so we can see that she is directly related to the POGO hubs that were built in Bamban,” Gatchalian said.
“In Porac, there were pieces of evidence and documents that linked her. Based on the documents, she also had some connections with some personalities related to the POGO hub in Porac,” Gatchalian added.
He said several cases had already been filed against Guo, particularly with the Department of Justice.
The Anti-Money Laundering Council and the Bureau of Internal Revenue, he added, are also expected to file cases against the suspended mayor.
“So it is important that government lawyers should see to it that their actions are coordinated,” he pointed out.
“It is also important that we identify the syndicates behind this. We want them to be held accountable and jailed for it, because Alice Guo is just one of many personalities and it is important for the government to know who the people are behind the POGO hubs in Bamban and Porac,” Gatchalian added.
The senator also said he wanted the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. to name at the next Senate hearing on POGO the former Cabinet official that it claimed had facilitated the entry of illegal online gaming operators. The next hearing is on July 10.- Cecille Suerte Felipe