MANILA, Philippines – Bamban Mayor Alice Guo must attend the Senate committee on women’s hearing on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (Pogos), or else she could be cited for contempt, Senator Risa Hontiveros warned.
Hontiveros made this remark in a press conference on Friday following the suspended mayor’s absence at the panel’s inquiry last June 26, supposedly due to stress and sickness.
“Dahil sa tingin niya hindi siya fit maging resource person, for sure, in the mind of the committee, fit na fit siya. At isa siya sa pinaka-importanteng dapat humarap, lalo na sa mga issue ng identity at citizenship,” said Hontiveros.
(Because she thinks she is not fit to be a resource person, for sure, in the mind of the committee, she is very fit. And she is one of the most important people to face the probe, especially amid issues on her identity and citizenship.)
The senator also warned the mayor of the repercussions if her absence persisted.
“Sinubpoena ko na siya at ang ilan pang mga tao, ‘yung mga kinikilalang magulang niya at yung mga kapatid niya. Kapag hindi honor ni Mayor Alice Guo, pati ‘yung subpoena, and I warned her of this already, I will cite her in contempt,” Hontiveros said.
(I have subpoenaed her and some other people, those who are recognized as her parents and siblings. If Mayor Alice Guo does not honor this, even the subpoena, and I warned her of this already, I will cite her in contempt.)
The senator also dismissed claims of mental health issues endured by the mayor, mentioning the possible stress incurred while committing deception in the court of law.
“I think Sen. Sherwin also said it very well, lying is more stressful, telling lies is more stressful. If she wants now, and in the long term, to address the mental health concerns she cites, the first and biggest step she can take, even for her own sake, is to come forward and finally tell the truth,” Hontiveros added in a mix of English and Filipino.
READ: NBI findings prove Alice Guo ‘a fake Filipino’ – senators
The National Bureau of Investigation confirmed last Thursday that Alice Guo possessed a fake Filipino identity after it found that the mayor’s fingerprints matched those of a Chinese passport holder, Guo Hua Ping
She has been at the center of scrutiny due to her alleged ties to illegal Pogo operation in Bamban. — Moss R. Laygo, INQUIRER.net trainee