By Brian Jules Campued
The Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) formally filed on Monday a quo warranto petition seeking to remove suspended Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo from her post.
Also naming the embattled mayor as Guo Hua Ping, state lawyers asked the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 34 to declare her ineligible to hold office as mayor due to her not being a Filipino citizen.
According to Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra, Guo committed acts that violate the law, such as serious dishonesty, which warrant her forfeiture as she is illegally holding the position.
According to the Omnibus Election Code, a quo warranto petition refers to an election contest relating to the qualifications of an elective official to determine if the said official has the right to exercise public office.
Under Rule 66 of the Rules of Court, the Solicitor General or a public prosecutor may initiate the filing of a quo warranto upon the orders of the President or on their initiative.
The OSG previously filed a petition to cancel the birth certificate of Guo following a series of Senate probes delving into the irregularities in her nationality and personal identity.
Last month, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) confirmed that Guo and a Chinese passport holder named Guo Hua Ping have the same fingerprints.
Meanwhile, Sen. Risa Hontiveros slammed Guo for her continued “disregard of the subpoena and arrest warrant” issued by the Senate.
“You may be able to hide now, but you will not be able to hide forever,” Hontiveros said during the July 29 Senate hearing.
Nancy Gamo, Guo’s supposed accountant, said that the mayor has been her client since 2012 but her work was freelance or project-based only. Gamo also testified that she registered Guo’s corporations, including POGOs.
However, Gatchalian recalled that Guo “flatly denied” that she knew Gamo during one of the hearings the mayor attended.
“Sa isang pagdinig namin noong pumupunta pa siya dito, flatly dineny niya na kakilala kayo. Sinabi niya na hindi kayo magkakilala. Anong masasabi niyo ho doon?” the senator asked.
Gamo answered that Guo was lying when the mayor claimed not to know her.
“Nagsisinungaling po siya,” Gamo said. – iro
