Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Thursday suggested that suspended Bamban Mayor Alice Guo, who shares fingerprints with Chinese national Guo Hua Ping, might use her Chinese passport to leave the Philippines.
In an ambush interview, Gatchalian expressed his belief that Guo’s Chinese passport, which she used until 2011, might still be valid.
“Ito personal theory ko lang naman na buhay pa ‘yung Chinese passport niya. And in an event na magkaganito, ma-aresto siya, makakapunta siya sa China gamit ‘yung kanyang Chinese passport,” Gatchalian said in the interview.
(Due to her dishonesty, I’m sure she has an escape plan… she’s a smart person, not ordinary. She knows what she’s doing. So, my theory is that she still holds her Chinese passport as insurance.
If she needs to leave, at least she can return there without a problem since she is a Chinese citizen in the first place.)
Gatchalian mentioned that he requested the Bureau of Immigration to verify if Alice Guo or Guo Hua Ping had departed from the country’s official exit points.
“Based on the records ng Bureau of Immigration, nandito pa siya. So, kung totoo yun, nandito pa siya sa Pilipinas,” he said.
According to Gatchalian, Guo is currently at the center of a Senate investigation concerning a raided Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) hub in Bamban, Tarlac.
Several documents indicated her involvement in processing documents for its operations.
Guo’s citizenship has been questioned due to inconsistent testimonies and dubious documents regarding her Filipino citizenship.
She has repeatedly denied any involvement in POGO operations and maintains that she is a Filipino citizen.