Suspended Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo and Comelec chairman George Garcia. ABS-CBN News/File

MANILA — Over 2 months since the issue of Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo's questionable nationality exploded on national media, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has created a panel to investigate the official in relation to her 2022 candidacy.

• Comelec suggests quo warranto case vs mayor with citizenship issue

In a letter dated July 6, Comelec chairman George Garcia directed the poll body's law department to create a "fact-finding committee to investigate the candidacy" of Guo, who won the elections in 2022.

"The committee will determine whether there was material misrepresentation in her certificate of candidacy which would warrant the filing of an election offense case," Garcia said in the letter.

The Comelec has repeatedly said that they only have “ministerial duty” to accept COCs, meaning they simply check if the forms have been filled out successfully without judging its content.

• Comelec urges voters: Do deep dive on candidates following Guo mess

Guo's nationality was put into question during the May 7 Senate hearing into her alleged POGO ties after Sen. Risa Hontiveros reported that the Bamban Mayor "came out of nowhere" during the 2022 elections. 

• Hontiveros questions nationality of Bamban mayor linked to POGOs

"Ayon mismo sa mga taga-Bamban, bigla na lang lumutang ang pangalan ni Mayor Alice Guo nung eleksyon noong 2022... Mayor Alice was catapulted to power in a small town in Tarlac, but does she have the public records that will strongly establish her identity as a Filipino national?" Hontiveros said in May.

• Senate to resume probe on Alice Guo on July 10

The Senate would zero in on Guo's citizenship in the following hearing, raising more doubts on her Filipino ties.

Last week, the National Bureau of Investigation ruled that Guo and Chinese citizen Guo Hua Ping are the same person due to their identical fingerprints.

• Deportation, jail time or plea deal: What happens next to 'Chinese' mayor Alice Guo?

Guo is currently suspended by the Office of the Ombudsman. 

The Office of the Solicitor General is also seeking the cancellation of her birth certificate, which would serve as a basis for a quo warranto case. 

Guo's camp has repeatedly denied allegations against her.

• Mayor Guo’s camp reserves right to comment until accuracy of data is established

RELATED VIDEO