Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo testifies at the Senate hearing in Pasay City on May 22, 2024 as she faces questions on her identity and alleged ties to a raided POGO hub in her town. The Senate resumed its investigation on the alleged human trafficking and cyber fraud ops in Clark and Tarlac. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News

MANILA — The Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) on Friday said it would file a petition for the cancellation of the birth certificate of Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo following suspicions on her supposed Chinese citizenship. 

The petition will cite Guo’s alleged failure to comply with the legal requirements for late registration of birth, Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra said. 

This will lay the groundwork for the subsequent filing of a quo warranto petition that would seek Guo’s removal as mayor of Bamban, Guevarra added. 

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) earlier said it found irregularities in Guo’s birth certificate, while the National Bureau of Investigation said the mayor’s fingerprints matched that of Chinese woman Guo Hua Ping. 

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The Commission on Elections is preparing a separate election offense case against Guo. 

She is also facing a separate human trafficking complaint linked to the illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations hub in Bamban.

Guo has insisted that she is a Filipino. She denied that she is a Chinese spy or that she had alleged links to illegal gambling hubs.

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HUMAN TRAFFICKING RAPS

Meanwhile, the Department of Justice urged Guo's four Filipino co-respondents file their counter-affidavits before the panel of prosecutors conducting a preliminary investigation on human trafficking complaints.

Justice Undersecretary Nicholas Felix Ty noted that the statements of the respondents before the Senate would have no bearing in the ongoing DOJ probe.

“Nananawagan ako na kailangan kayong magpakita dito ah, dahil kung hindi kayo sumagot baka makasuhan kayo, hindi sa Senado ang proper venue para maihain ang depensa ninyo na iyon kundi dito sa Department of Justice,” Ty said.

“They should file their response here at the DOJ and at the same time nananawagan kami sa kanila na tumulong sa kaso, kung pwede maghain ng sariling reklamo na finalsify, ginamit ang kanilang identity or tumulong talaga sa imbestigasyon ng gobyerno laban doon sa mga nagpapatakbo ng illlegal POGO na ito,” he added.

Guo's lawyer Alex Avisado argued there was no strong evidence against the mayor for human trafficking.

Guo did not appear before the panel as she was not required to do so.

“Ang crime na human trafficking naco-commit if you recruit, transport, transfer persons for domestic employment pero ang purpose mo talaga ay prostitution, sexual exploitation, slavery, forced labor, eh tingnan niyo ang ebidensya against Mayor Alice Guo, papel, bill ng kuryente, letter of no objection, articles of incorporation, itong mga dokumento na ito hindi enough to commit the crime of human trafficking,” Avisado said.

The preliminary investigation is set to resume on July 22, Ty said.

He said Guo should appear before the panel and take an oath as she files her counter-affidavit.