By Brian Jules Campued
The Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) has ordered the expulsion of suspended Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo as a member of the party.
This was confirmed by a letter signed by NPC chair Vicente Sotto III on Saturday and addressed to Tarlac Governor Susan Yap, who petitioned the removal of Guo.
“The NPC will not tolerate any unlawful acts or any appearance of impropriety by its members that will undermine the principle of our party,” Sotto said.
“In this regard, after due consultation with the leaders and members of our party and considering the gravity of charges and on-going investigations against Mayor Guo, I hereby order the removal of Mayor Alice Guo from the roster of members of the Nationalist People’s Coalition,” he added.
The former senate president also directed NPC secretary general Sec. Mark Llandro Medoza to implement the said order and inform Guo of her removal from the party.
On June 21, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) and the Philippine National Police – Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) filed a qualified human trafficking case against Guo, former Technology and Livelihood Resource Center (TLRC) deputy director general Dennis Cunanan, and 12 officers and incorporators of three companies for their alleged ties to a raided Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub in Bamban.
Also among the respondents of the complaint were Guo’s alleged business partners Huang Zhiyang, Zhang Ruijin, and Baoying Li.
Guo is currently serving a six-month suspension ordered by the Ombudsman, which started last May 31.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Sec. Benjamin Abalos, Jr. previously directed the National Police Commission to start proceedings to revoke Guo’s control over the local police in Bamban. (with reports from Daniel Manalastas and Joshua Garcia/PTV News)
– avds
