MANILA — For Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros, an investigation into a Chinese woman named Wen Yi Lin is needed as she might turn out to be the biological mother of Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian earlier said he suspects Lin to be the mother since some residents of Valenzuela where Guo’s family used to live said Lin was introduced to them as Guo’s mother before. 

The hunch was fueled by the fact that Lin is one of the incorporators in several companies owned by Guo and her family.

In the incorporation papers of QJJ Farm, Lin was listed as an incorporator along with Guo, her siblings Shiela and Seimen, and father Jian Zhong Guo or Angelito Guo.

Lin was also listed as such in the incorporation papers of the QJJ Group of Companies.

According to Hontiveros, this was the case in at least seven businesses of the Bamban mayor.

“May isa pa kaming source na nagsasabi na ‘Winnie’ ang tawag sa nanay ni Mayor Guo. Filipinized version kaya ito ng Lin Wen Yi?” Hontiveros said in a statement.

(We have another source who said Mayor Guo’s mom was called “Winnie”. Could this be a Filipinized version of Lin Wen Yi?)

This possibility highlights the doubts about Guo’s Filipino citizenship.

“Kung Chinese pala ang ina, at Chinese umano ang ama, mapapatunayan na hindi nga talaga Pilipino si mayor. Kung totoo ito, ang mas malaking tanong: bakit kinailangan niyang magkunwari? Bakit may pagtatago at pagsisinungaling?” Hontiveros asked.

(If her mom is Chinese, and her father is Chinese, it will be proven that the Mayor is not Filipino. If this is true, the bigger question is: why did she have to pretend? Why the deceit and lies?)

Hontiveros’ Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality is set to conduct another hearing on the issue, aside from an executive session with different government agencies on June 5.

For Senator Loren Legarda, the matter is important as it involves national security.

“It could be a creeping invasion…Napaka-seryosong isyu ng national security ang ating sinisiyasat dito,” Legarda said. (We are investigating a very serious issue on national security.)

She adds, “Napakahalaga sa’kin ng isyung ‘to hindi lamang sa isang small town mayor, sa iba pang possible infiltration ng ibang bansa.”  

(This issue is very important to me not just on a small town Mayor, but on other possible infiltration of other countries.)

Legarda insisted that the hearings do not aim to discriminate Chinese, “We’re doing this for the Filipino people, the Filipino nation upholding our rights as citizens of our beloved country. And this is for everyone's sake including the Filipino Chinese community.”