By Brian Jules Campued
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) bared on Wednesday that the fingerprints of suspended Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo did not match the record of another Alice Guo who applied for an NBI clearance in 2005.
“The fingerprint card of this person was again compared sa unang dalawang fingerprint cards [of Guo Hua Ping and Mayor Guo]. Hindi nag-match, so ito, ’di ko alam kung sino siya,” NBI Director Jaime Santiago said in a press briefing.
According to Santiago, the 2005 Guo’s whereabouts are still unknown as authorities found no records of the individual living in the address listed on the clearance. Mayor Guo applied for an NBI clearance in March 2021.
“Na-check na namin ’yong history ng bahay na ’yon, ’yong address na ’yon; wala doong natira na Alice Guo,” Santiago said.
“Maaaring may nag-instruct sa kaniya: ‘Kumuha ka ng clearance, gamitin mo ito, Alice Guo born on July 12, 1986, pinanganak ka sa Tarlac,’ ” he added.
This latest revelation, the NBI said, only affirmed their earlier finding that the suspended mayor and the Chinese passport holder named Guo Hua Ping are “one and the same” person.
“We have already established that Guo Hua Ping, the Chinese, and Mayor Alice, [are] one and the same person,” Santiago said.
The agency earlier found that the fingerprints of the embattled mayor, born on July 12, 1986 in Tarlac, and Guo Hua Ping, born on August 31, 1990 in China, are the same.
It was Sen. Risa Hontiveros who disclosed in her committee’s probe into the raided Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub in Bamban, where the mayor was linked, that there was another Alice Leal Guo who has the same birthday and birthplace as the mayor.
Meanwhile, Hontiveros said the latest NBI finding would not affect the ongoing Senate inquiry. The Senate hearing will resume on July 10.
“Kahit sampu pa ang lumabas na Alice Guo sa buong Pilipinas, si Mayor Alice Guo ng Bamban, Tarlac ang katangi-tanging Chinese citizen na naging mayor. Ang imbestigasyon ay para kay Alice Guo na hindi Filipino citizen,” the senator wrote in a post on social media.
Filing of charges vs. Guo
Santiago also stressed that their discovery will not affect the charges set to be filed by the Office of the Solicitor General and the Commission on Elections (Comelec). The NBI will also forward their report to support the poll body’s case buildup against Guo.
“We will support, i-strengthen namin ang aming ugnayan para magkaroon tayo ng malinis at credible election,” Santiago said.
The Comelec will also compare the fingerprint registration of Guo from 2005 with their voter database.
“Iisa lang naman ang nagparehistro dahil sa automated fingerprint identification system namin, may nagparehistro na Alice Guo ng April of 2021,” Comelec Chairperson George Garcia. (with report from Louisa Erispe/PTV News)
– iro
