Bamban,Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo
AMID calls for suspension of Bamban Mayor Alice Guo, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) insisted that the agency does not wield the power for such requests.
Instead, DILG in a statement asked the Office of the Ombudsman to issue a preventive suspension order against Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo amid an ongoing investigation by a seven-man task force specifically formed to look into the mayor’s links into the illegal POGO operations in her locality.
The probe team is headed by DILG Internal Audit chief Benjamin Zabala.
“The DILG does not have the power to directly suspend or dismiss local officials. Hence, the DILG defers to the Ombudsman regarding any sanctions that may be imposed against Guo, in line with its disciplinary authority over elective officials of local governments,” DILG Secretary Benhur Abalos said.
In the probe team’s initial report sent to the Ombudsman on May 17, the DILG hinted at “troubling findings of serious illegal acts which may have severe legal implications.”
Preventive suspensions are usually issued to dissuade public officials from using his or her influence to alter the investigation. The same doctrine is being used to ensure an impartial investigation.
Aside from the DILG, the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) is also working on a separate investigation to determine whether or not Guo is fit to hold public office amid issues hounding her citizenship.
Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra added that the OSG just might file a quo warranto petition that would effectively kick Guo out of her office.
Guo gained notoriety over alleged involvement in the illegal operation of two POGO firms at a vast complex adjacent the Bamban municipal hall where she holds office.
Members of the Senate, which has been conducting a congressional inquiry, are also floating speculations that Guo could be a Chinese spy. (ANGEL F. JOSE)
