By Brian Jules Campued
“Is this a case of stolen identity?”
Senator Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday questioned anew the real identity of suspended Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo, as the senator revealed a document showing another individual with the same name, birthdate, and birthplace as the embattled mayor.
In the continuation of the Senate investigation into the raided Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub in Bamban where Guo was linked, Hontiveros bared a National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) document which showed another picture of a woman named ‘Alice Leal Guo’.
“Is it a coincidence na may dalawang Alice Leal Guo na pinanganak on July 12, 1986, sa Tarlac? Is it a coincidence that this NBI clearance was applied for just a few days before the date of filing of the delayed registration of birth of the other Alice Leal Guo in Tarlac City? Or is this a case of stolen identity?” the senator said.
“Has Guo Hua Ping assumed the identity of a Filipino woman and then nearly a decade later, ran for public office? Sino po ang babaeng ito na pangalang Alice Leal Guo pero hindi kamukha ni Mayor? Nasaan na po siya ngayon?” she added.
NBI Dir. Jerry Abiera, Regional Director III of the Central Luzon Regional Office, stressed the importance of comparing the two Guos’ fingerprints from their database to be able to determine “whether or not that person and the mayor are different.”
Meanwhile, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian zoned in on Guo’s alleged mother, a certain ‘Lin Wen Yi’ whom the mayor reportedly listed as her mother when she opened her bank accounts.
According to the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), Guo used several variations of Lin’s name: “Winnie Leal,” “Wennie Leal Lin,” “Wen Yi Lin Leal,” “Winnie C. Leal,” “Amelia Lin Leal,” and “Amelia Leal.”
“So in other words, noong binuksan niya ’yong account niya, voluntarily, sinulat niya na ang kaniyang mother’s maiden name is ‘Wen Yi Lin’. May ‘Leal’ lang… pero alam naman natin [itong] ‘Leal’ ay kathang-isip lang naman ‘yon,” Gatchalian said during the Senate hearing.
“So ang ibig sabihin, siguro bago pa lumabas itong isyu na ito, voluntarily sinusulat niya na ang nanay niya [ay] si Wen Yi Lin,” he added.
Hontiveros also stated the supposed links of Guo with the raided POGO hubs in Bamban, Tarlac and Porac, Pampanga, as well as with the Sun Valley Clark Hub Corporation, a scam hub raided in Mabalacat, Pampanga in 2023.
According to Hontiveros, Huang Zhiang, who was an incorporator of Baofu Corporation which owns the compound that houses the Bamban-based Zun Yuan Technology Inc., was also an incorporator of Sun Valley Clark Hub. Mayor Guo was also listed as an incorporator of Baofu.
Furthermore, Guo was also said to have connections with the Porac-based POGO hub, Lucky South 99 Corporation, through its authorized representative Catherine Cassanda Li Ong.
“How large and what is the nature of Mayor Alice Guo’s network? Sino ba ang protektor ng mga POGO na ito? Gaano kataas sa food chain ang mga protektor?” Hontiveros asked.
Meanwhile, Guo was absent during the Senate panel’s probe, saying she was “not fit to appear” due to stress and anxiety.
“My exposure to prolonged stress and high level of anxiety owing to the concerning and malicious accusations thrown against me have adversely affected and caused serious impacts on my physical and mental health,” the suspended mayor said in her letter to the Senate committee. (with report from Daniel Manalastas/PTV News)
– iro
