Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo attends a flag-raising ceremony at the municipal hall on May 13, 2024. Courtesy: Mayor Alice Leal Guo/FB

MANILA — The Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) is now investigating Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo after suspicions on her citizenship surfaced during a Senate panel hearing probing her ties to a POGO.

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"Yes, I created a special team of solicitors last week to look into the matter and determine if there is good reason to believe that the subject is unlawfully holding or exercising a public office," Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra said Thursday. 

Guevarra said the OSG is currently gathering relevant information from the Commission on Elections (Comelec), Bureau of Immigration, and other government agencies. 

Guo faced the Senate last week to answer allegations that she was backing a POGO operation in Bamban that was raided last March, where authorities found evidence of human trafficking, serious illegal detention, physical abuse, and even torture.

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But Sen. Risa Hontiveros zeroed in on Guo's personal background after receiving reports that the mayor "came out of nowhere" last 2022 elections.

READ: Hontiveros questions nationality of Bamban mayor linked to POGOs

Guo's apparent evasiveness to disclose her background at the Senate raised even more suspicion from the public.

According to Guevarra, a quo warranto case is possible if Guo was found to be unqualified to hold office.

READ: Comelec suggests quo warranto case vs mayor with citizenship issue

"If it could be established by proof, the OSG will commence quo warranto proceedings to oust the person concerned.

Based on Comelec records, Guo declared that she is a Filipino citizen in her certificate of candidacy.

Tarlac mayor Alice Guo's COC: 'I am a Filipino citizen'

The Comelec added that no one challenged Guo's qualification last election, allowing her to run and eventually win the position.

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