MANILA — Suspended Mayor Alice Guo of Bamban, Tarlac is likely to give up her reelection campaign in next year's midterm elections, her lawyer Stephen David said Thursday.

In May, Guo told ABS-CBN News that she had no intention of quitting her post amid several controversies hounding her, adding she would seek reelection in the 2025 elections and would bank on her constituents' support.

However, David told ANC that Guo is now "inclined" not to seek reelection in the 2025 polls because of the "repercussions" of her position as mayor.

Guo faces a congressional inquiry and trafficking cases related to her alleged ties with illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) in Bamban town as well as serious questions on her nationality.

She also risks being ousted from her post as the Office of the Solicitor General moves to file a quo warranto petition against her.

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But for David, Guo should still pursue her reelection bid next year and let the people of Bamban decide whether or not their mayor deserves another term despite the issues.

"Huwag nating i-preempt 'yung mamamayan ng Bamban kung gusto nila[ng iboto si Guo]," said David

(Let us not preempt the constituents of Bamban if they want to vote for Guo.)

According to the Commission on Elections, Guo can still file for reelection despite the allegations as long as there is no final judgment yet finding her guilty of any of the charges filed against her.

The filing of certificates of candidacy for the upcoming midterm elections is set for the first week of October 2024.

Last month, the Nationalist People's Coalition expelled Guo from the party after her alleged involvement with unlicensed POGOs and with related human and labor trafficking put "grave doubt" on her integrity and on her adherence to the party's principles.

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Guo did not attend the continuation of the Senate hearing into her and illegal POGOs on Wednesday citing "trauma" and "stress."

Her legal team on that day instead turned to the Supreme Court for help to compel the upper chamber to stop summoning her to the hearings, which her team accused of being a "trial by publicity."

"Her Constitutionally guaranteed freedoms and rights have been repeatedly violated, ignored, and/or disregarded," Guo’s lawyers said in a petition filed before the high court.