MANILA – The legal team of suspended Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo asserted on Wednesday that there is “no evidence” supporting the human trafficking charges against her, which have been submitted for resolution at the Department of Justice (DOJ).
“Malabo naman ‘yung case na ‘yun,” Guo’s lawyer, Stephen David, stated.
“Wala naman evidence na involved siya sa human trafficking. Mas maganda sa court na lang mag-prepare ng defense,” he added. (That case is not founded. She is not involved in human trafficking. It is better to prepare our defense in court.)
The DOJ confirmed that the case has been submitted for resolution and noted that Guo did not file a counter-affidavit.
Separately, David described the election offense complaint that the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is preparing to file against Guo as “premature.”
“Right now we have not received any correspondence from the court or Comelec. It is hard to comment on a petition which we have not yet evaluated. However, as a lawyer, l have my reservations as to the filing of this petition. It seems this is a premature step considering that the issue on the validity of the Certificate of Birth Registration of Mayor Guo is still pending determination by the court,” David explained.
“So, what could be the basis for the Comelec to allege that Mayor Guo made misrepresentations on her Certificate of Candidacy?” he added.
On Tuesday, the Comelec en banc approved the law department’s recommendation to file a complaint against Guo for material misrepresentation.