SENATOR Risa Hontiveros bared on Wednesday, June 26, 2024, two National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) clearances bearing the name personal information but with different photos, one with that of suspended Bamban, Tarlac Alice Leal Guo.
During the resumption of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality probe into the raided illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (Pogo) in Bamban, Hontiveros presented two NBI clearances bearing the same name: Alice Leal Guo, born on the same date, July 12, 1986, in Tarlac.
The only difference between the two documents was the photos of the person; one bore the image of Bamban Mayor Guo, while the other featured a different woman.
"Is it a coincidence na may dalawang Alice Leal Guo na pinanganak (born) on July 12, 1986, sa Tarlac? Is it a coincidence that this NBI clearance was applied for just a few days before the date of filing of the delayed registration of birth of the other Alice Leal Guo in Tarlac City? Or is this a case of stolen identity?" Hontiveros said.
"Has Guo Hua Ping assumed the identity of a Filipino woman and then nearly a decade later, ran for public office? Sino po ang babaeng ito na may pangalang Alice Leal Guo pero hindi kamukha ni Mayor? Nasaan na po siya ngayon? (Who is this woman named Alice Leal Guo who does not resemble the Mayor? Where is she now?)" she added.
Hontiveros has instructed the NBI to locate the other Alice Leal Guo, as well as to present the biometrics of Guo Hua Ping and Mayor Guo for comparison.
Guo Hua Ping?
Last week, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said that based on documents from the Board of Investment and Bureau of Immigration, Mayor Guo might be Guo Hua Ping. She entered the Philippines on January 12, 2003, at the age of 13, with her family, through a Special Investors Resident Visa (SIRV). She was born on August 31, 1990.
Guo Hua Ping’s registered mother under the SIRV is Lin Wenyi who Gatchalian earlier suspected to be the mayor’s biological mother, citing her inclusion in the majority of the family’s businesses.
Mayor Guo earlier maintained that her mother is Amelia Leal Guo, who is a full-blooded Filipino, while her father is a Chinese national.
Amelia remains the missing link for Mayor Guo to prove her Filipino nationality amid questions about her real nationality, considering the absence of hospital birth records, school records, and her inconsistent testimonies in earlier hearings.
Not fit?
Mayor Guo skipped Wednesday’s hearing because she believes that she is "not fit to appear as one of the resource persons to the said inquiry."
"Truth be told, my exposure to prolonged stress and high level of anxiety, owing to the concerning and malicious accusations thrown against me, have adversely affected and caused serious impact on my physical and mental health," Guo said.
"More importantly, I have been exposed to public ridicule, humiliation and hatred for several months now, tarnishing my public image, character and reputation. Unfortunately, I have already been prejudged by the public despite the absence of any finding by the courts of law and proper tribunals," she added.
The panel's inquiry into the illegal Pogo hub, located near the Municipal Hall of Bamban, focused on Guo, which subsequently led to the Department of the Interior and Local Government filing administrative charges against her. These charges include grave misconduct, serious dishonesty, gross neglect of duty, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, resulting in her suspension.
Charges of human trafficking were also filed against Guo before the Department of Justice.
Hontiveros rejected Guo’s explanations, leading her to issue a subpoena against Guo and her family, including her father Jian Zhong Guo, her suspected biological mother Lin WenYi, and siblings Shiela, Seimen, and Wesley Leal. Despite the panel's summons, they did not attend the hearing.
A subpoena was also issued against Nancy Gamo, the reported accountant and person in charge of filing documents for the Guo family's businesses.
Live birth identity
Meanwhile, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said during the hearing that it has already endorsed the cancellation of Guo's certificate of live birth (COLB) to the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), noting that they have no power to do so even if they find the process of registration irregular.
Mayor Guo previously stated that her parents registered her birth with the then National Statistics Office when she was already 17 years old.
In the earlier hearings, Hontiveros presented a certification from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), stating that Amelia Leal, who is listed as Guo’s mother on her birth certificate, is non-existing.
Leal, who is allegedly a Filipina, is also listed as the mother of Guo’s three other siblings.
In the birth certificates of Guo and her three siblings, they have the same father and mother, although their declared dates of marriage are different.
However, the PSA said Guo's parents also have no record of marriage.
If Mayor Guo’s COLB will be canceled, her nationality will be considered as “floating.” (TPM/SunStar Philippines)