FILE PHOTO: Bamban, Tarlac City Mayor Alice Guo speaks during the resumption of the Senate probe into a POGO hub in Tarlac province on Wednesday, May 22, 2024. Noy Morcoso/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — Alice Guo, the suspended mayor of a Tarlac town, asserted her innocence directly to Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin and denied all allegations hurled against her.
In a June 18 letter addressed to Bersamin, she said: “Mariin kong pinabubulaanan ang anumang pagkakasangkot sa mga umano’y kaso ng kidnapping, illegal detention o human trafficking. Ang mga paratang na ito ay ganap na walang batayan at walang kahit anong katotohanan.”
(I strongly deny any involvement in the alleged cases of kidnapping, illegal detention, or human trafficking. These allegations are entirely baseless and void of any truth.)
According to Guo, the accusations lodged against her are baseless. She reiterated her denial pronouncements during a Senate panel investigation of her alleged ties with Philippine offshore gaming operators.
On Monday, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) said Guo may be slapped with human trafficking charges.
READ: PAOCC plans to file criminal raps vs Alice Guo for Pogo connections
PAOCC spokesperson Winston Casio explained that Guo may be liable for the crime because she had partial ownership of properties where alleged human trafficking activities took place.
Guo, however, did not address this point in her letter to Bersamin, who also heads the PAOCC.
READ: Guo on kin: We’re not Pogo protectors; ‘love me before you thwart me’
Guo nevertheless promised Bersamin that she would work with authorities throughout the investigation.
“Ako ay magalang at buong pagkukumbabang humihiling sa kagalang-galang na opisina ng PAOCC na magsagawa ng isang masusi at walang kinikilingang imbestigasyon sa mga paratang na ito,” said Guo.
(I am respectfully and wholeheartedly asking the honorable office of the PAOCC to conduct a careful and unbiased investigation of these accusations.)