Alice Guo’s suspension as mayor of Bamban town in Tarlac was welcomed by at least three senators, namely, Sherwin Gatchalian (left), Risa Hontiveros (center), and Joel Villanueva (right). The Office of the Ombudsman placed Guo and two other municipal officials under preventive suspension without pay for a period not exceeding six months. The Ombudsman’s suspension order on Guo and two others was dated May 31, 2024.| PHOTOS: Senate PRIB
MANILA, Philippines — Three senators rejoiced on Monday about the suspension of Bamban Mayor Alice Guo over her alleged link to illegal offshore gaming operations in the country.
“Dapat lang,” opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros said in a statement when asked for comment on the Office of the Ombudsman’s order placing Guo and two other Bamban town officials under preventive suspension without pay for a period not exceeding six months.
The senator pointed out that she had already called for the mayor’s suspension when she and Senator Sherwin Gatchalian inspected a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (Pogo) hub in Tarlac on April 24.
“We also received information that she tried to obstruct the ongoing investigation immediately after the Pogo was raided,” Hontiveros said, referring to Zun Yuan Technology Inc., which authorities raided on March 13.
“This should have already warranted a suspension. We only hope this is not too late,” the Senate committee on women chairperson added.
She also reminded that the same Pogo was linked to alleged hacking and surveillance activities, which she had exposed during a Senate panel hearing.
READ: Alice Guo’s suspected mother, father left PH on May 20, says Gatchalian
On Wednesday, June 5, the Senate committee on women will hold an executive session to further probe into Guo’s alleged connection with Zun Yuan Technology Inc.
“I look forward to our executive session soon. Inaasahan ko na mas lalong maliliwanagan tayo sa totoong papel ni Alice Guo hindi lang sa mga Pogo, kundi pati sa mga banta sa ating pambansang seguridad,” she said.
(I look forward to our executive session soon. I expect we will be further enlightened about Alice Guo’s true role in the Pogos and the threats to our national security.)
Gatchalian, for his part, considered the Ombudsman’s decision as a “move in the right direction,” saying this would allow authorities to investigate “freely without fear of a cover-up while [Guo] is in office.”
“Any government officials suspected of any wrongdoing should be thoroughly investigated and held liable if found guilty,” he pointed out in another statement.
“All elected and appointed government officials and personnel should adhere to the highest ethical standards and conduct themselves with integrity, accountability, and fairness,” he added.
Despite the charges against the mayor, Gatchalian said the Senate will continue to flesh out details regarding establishing a Pogo hub in the mayor’s town.
He and other senators suspect that the Pogo hub in Bamban was also involved in transnational crimes such as money laundering and human trafficking.
READ: Bamban Mayor Alice Guo: ‘I will not resign’
While commending the suspension order against the mayor, Senator Joel Villanueva renewed his call on government agencies to “step up their game” against illegal Pogos.
“To begin with, even us here in Congress, we’ve been calling for the banning of Pogos,” Villanueva said in a press briefing at the Senate.
“I sound like a broken record for the past six, seven years asking the government agencies to look into this,” he lamented.
The senator then asked the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to “walk the extra mile” and immediately remove Pogos from communities.
It was the DILG that recommended the suspension of Guo and two others for supposedly allowing illegal Pogos to do business in Bamban, a town in Tarlac province.
The DILG has also filed several complaints, including graft, against Guo and other municipal officials before the Office of the Ombudsman.
NOTE: The English translations in the article were AI-generated.