Guo still in Philippines, to attend court hearings if summoned, says lawyer | ABS-CBN

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Guo still in Philippines, to attend court hearings if summoned, says lawyer

Guo still in Philippines, to attend court hearings if summoned, says lawyer

Victoria Tulad,

ABS-CBN News

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Guo still in Philippines, to attend court hearings if summoned, says lawyerBamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo. Photo from Mayor Alice Leal Guo Facebook

MANILA – Suspended Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo will attend court hearings if she is ordered to do so, her lawyer said Wednesday. 


“Yung ang sinabi niya sa’kin,” Guo’s lawyer, Attorney Stephen David said. “Siyempre hindi naman siya puwedeng maging at large. Sayang naman yung depensa namin.” 


(That’s what she told me. Of course she can’t be at large. Our defense will go to waste.) 


David noted that Guo would need to appear when she is arraigned or when the prosecutor calls on her to take an oath on her affidavit. 


“Pero kapag as much as possible…palitan pa ng mga sagot ng mga lawyers, hindi na niya kailangan mag-attend. Puwede na siyang mag-authorized representative,” he said.  


(As much as possible, when it is still just an exchange between lawyers, she does not need to attend. She can use an authorized representative.)



David said Guo was still in the Philippines based on their last phone conversation on Tuesday night. 


The mayor is saddened by the continuation of Senate hearings on her, the next of which is scheduled on July 29, he said. 


“Traumatized siya diyan eh. Di ba sabi nga niya tuwing pagkatapos ng Senate hearing ang daming cyberbullying sa kanya. So ine-expect niya kung magkakaroon uli ng Senate hearing baka triple pa ang magiging bullying sa kanya,” David said. 


(She is traumatized. She said every time a Senate hearing ends, she receives a lot of cyberbullying. So she expects that when a Senate hearing happens, the bullying might even triple.) 


POGO BAN


David said Guo had no reaction to the ban on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), as she is not connected to the gambling hubs. 


“Nandito ako sa Vatican hindi ako nagsisinungaling. Wala naman siyang connection sa POGO. Lessor lang siya,” David said. 


(I am here at the Vatican, I’m not lying. She does not have any connection to POGO. She was just a lessor.) 



David said that while he was not calling for the end of POGO hearings, he wanted Guo to be spared from the probe since cases were already filed against her and she cannot freely answer questions for fear that she would incriminate herself. 


“Ano pa ba ang purpose nila? National security? Eh di maggawa sila ng batas about national security o kaya yung mga problema about birth certificate, registration eh di maggawa na sila ng batas. Di na nila kailangang patunayan kung anong meron kay Alice. Actually Pwede na silang magbalangkas ng batas in aid of legislation,” David pointed out. 


(What else is their purpose? National security? They can create a law about national security or about the problems with birth certificate, registration, they can make a law. They don’t need to prove anything else about Alice. They can already draft a law in aid of legislation.) 


David said Guo would most probably not show up on the July 29 hearing since she wanted to defend herself in the proper forum. 


David added that the Office of the Solicitor General had a right to file a quo warranto petition against Guo. But he said their legal team would counter it because the case to cancel his client’s birth certificate remained pending.


“We will just file a motion to dismiss being premature,” David said. “Anong magiging basis nila sa kanilang quo warranto? (What will be the basis for their quo warranto?)


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