Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo could face charges of perjury if it can be proven that she lied on her certificate of candidacy, said Comelec Chair George Garcia in an ambush interview with media at the Senate.
Garcia revealed that only a Certificate of Candidacy, where a candidate self-declares as a Filipino citizen is the only required document to qualify for public office. No birth certificate or any other documents are needed to prove citizenship. It is presumed that what the candidate has stated is factual. The law states that only natural-born citizens of the Philippines are qualified to run for public office.
Garcia clarified that the job of the Comelec is ministerial, which means the commission only processes documents and does not investigate them. “Hindi po namin kilala ang lahat ng kandiato sa Pilipinas,” he said. “Dapat po may mag file ng disqualification.” Any registered voter can file a case for disqualification against a candidate.
The case of Guo shocked the public as to how she managed to become the mayor of a Philippine town when it was revealed during questioning by Senator Rissa Hontiveros during a Senate hearing about POGOs (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators) that Guo couldn’t remember basic facts about her childhood and early adolescent in the country. Guo’s birth certificate states she only registered her birth when she was already 17, which only adds to the speculation that she could be, in Hontiveros’ words, a Chinese “asset” trained to infiltrate and influence the Philippine government.
Hontiveros also revealed that Alice Guo’s father Anghelito Guo is listed as a Filipino citizen, but he is listed as a Chinese citizen in his embroidery business. Alice Guo also admitted her father’s real name is Jian Zhong Guo.
Mayor Alice Guo was summoned to a senate hearing because of her alleged connection to the Zun Yuan Technology Incorporated (ZYTI) which operates a large POGO hub in Bamban.
