TARLAKENYO (May 8, 2024) — No school records. No hospital records. Questionable role in POGO operations.
These are the red flags that senators Win Gatchalian and Risa Hontiveros heard from the testimony of Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo before the Senate panel on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality that Hontiveros chairs.
“Figuratively, out of nowhere, you became a mayor of Bamban; some might think it’s a refreshing break in the usual political dynasty, but of course, we want to know more about you,” Hontiveros said.
The senators confronted Guo about why her birth registration was delayed and why the registration only occurred when she reached the age of 17-years old. There were also no hospital records of her birth.
Guo claimed that she was born “inside the house.”
The Bamban local chief executive also has no school records and claimed that she was homeschooled and only gave the name “Teacher Rubylyn” as her homeschool provider.
“I am alarmed at how opaque mayor Alice Guo’s answers have been, especially about her personal background. No school records from grade school to high school, no hospital records dahil ipinanganak sa bahay, hindi masagot kung ang kapareho nilang address ay kamag-anak nila o hindi,” Hontiveros said.
Both senators earlier asked the Department of the Interior and Local Government of preventively suspend Guo for her alleged involvement in Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) operations in her town.
Guo also denied that she is “connected” or a “protector” of POGO.
“Unang una po hindi ako konektado at hindi po ako operator, hindi po ako protector or coddler po ng POGO. Wala po akong kinalaman sa kanilang operation at saka kahit anong gawains sa loob at labas po ng POGO,” Guo stressed.
Hontiveros was not convinced.
“She lied; there were several instances that she lied. Yung pinaka-stark and shocking example ay yung dineny nya na may connection siya sa Hong Sheng eh nandun na nga sa mga dokumento ng municipal government na siya na nga ang pinuno,” Hontiveros said.
Zun Yuan, the POGO raided last March, is located in the 10-hectare Baofu compound that used to be majority-owned by Guo. She was also an incorporator of Hong Shieng Technologies which was raided by the authorities last year before it was renamed to Zun Yuan three months later.
The Baofu compound – with 36 commercial buildings and residential villas – sits at the back of the Bamban municipal hall.
