Alice Guo: ‘I am innocent’

MANILA, Philippines — Alice Guo, who was ordered suspended as mayor of Bamban, Tarlac, by the Ombudsman, maintained her innocence and vowed to continue defending her “integrity and character.”

“I respect the legal process and accept the Ombudsman’s decision,” Guo said in a statement Monday.

“I want to reiterate that I am innocent and I have served our town and its people with integrity. I believe this is an opportunity to clarify the accusations against me. I am ready to cooperate with the authorities to ensure truth and justice,” she added.

The Office of the Ombudsman issued the order suspending Guo and two other officials of Bamban on May 31. Copies of the directive were shared with the media on Monday, June 3.

READ: Alice Guo ordered suspended as mayor of Bamban, Tarlac

In the order, Ombudsman Samuel Martires said there are “sufficient grounds to preventively suspend” Guo and two other town officials “considering: that there is strong evidence showing their guilt.”

Guo, Municipal Business Permits and Licensing Office officer Edwin Ocampo, and Municipal Legal Officer Adenn Sigua were placed under preventive suspension without pay pending the resolution of an investigation against them. But their suspension must not exceed six months, according to the Ombudsman.

Alice Guo: This is a violation of my rights

The mayor said she was “deeply saddened” by accusations hurled against her, lamenting she has been “condemned” even before being heard.

She nevertheless promised her supporters in Bamban that she will remain firm in defending her name.

“This is a violation of my rights as a person and as a leader chosen by your votes,” Guo said, apparently addressing her constituents.

“However, I will not give up and I will continue to defend my integrity and my character,” she added.

READ: Bamban Mayor Alice Guo: ‘I will not resign’

The Ombudsman’s order granted the plea of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to suspend Guo and other municipal officials.

Last week, the DILG filed charges of grave misconduct, serious dishonesty, gross neglect of duty, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service against Guo, Ocampo, and Sigua for allegedly allowing illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (Pogos) to do business in Bamban.

Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. previously announced that the DILG recommended to the Office of the Ombudsman the preventive suspension of the mayor so she could not influence the investigation launched against her.

Abalos also said the seven-man DILG task force investigating Guo’s reported link to a Pogo mentioned “troubling findings of serious illegal acts [that] may have severe legal implications.”

Based on the Ombudsman order, the DILG alleged that Guo did not cancel or revoke the business permits issued to the Pogo “because of her business interest in Baofu” (Baofu Land Development Inc.) even if the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) revoked Zun Yuan Technology’s franchise as a Pogo.

Guo is purportedly the president of Baofu, which purchased eight parcels of land in Bamban last February 2019. Baofu is the compound in Bamban, Tarlac, where Zun Yuan Technology was operating until it was raided in March.

While Guo already claimed that she already divested from the company before she was elected mayor of Bamban, the DILG noted that the amount she divested – P2.5 million – from Baofu was “grossly incongruent to her investment” in the company.

The Ombudsman’s order likewise noted that Guo gave Baufo a business permit on October 25, 2022, despite Pagcor’s cancellation of Zun Yuan’s, or its predecessor Hongsheng’s, license to operate on October 6, 2022.

‘Guo is the victim’

But Guo’s lawyer, Nicole Jamilla, insisted that the mayor did not engage in “any act of manifest partiality, evident bad faith, or gross inexcusable negligence.”

She explained that the issuance of the business permit to Zun Yuan merely followed existing process and protocols, including that of Pagcor’s, and that Guo’s failure to immediately revoke the business permit was in accordance with the due process that needs to be followed.

“Mayor Guo is the victim here. She is unfairly implicated in issues that are rooted in the regulatory responsibilities of Pagcor,” Jamilla pointed out.

“The lack of necessary elements under RA 3019, Section 3(e), proves that the accusations lack a strong basis,” she added.

A Senate committee has also been investigating Guo’s supposed ties with Pogo, and looking into her identity over allegations that she might be a Chinese “asset” or spy trained to infiltrate the Philippine government.

Guo has repeatedly denied the accusations against her.