INQToday: Alice Guo asks SC to stop Senate from using her as resource person

Here’s a quick roundup of today’s top stories:

Alice Guo asks SC to stop Senate from using her as resource person

Saying that her life, liberty, and security were put in danger, Bamban Mayor Alice Guo on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court (SC) to stop the Senate from using her as a resource person in its committee hearings related to the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (Pogos) and their involvement in criminal activities.

Guo, through her lawyers, also urged the SC to annul and set aside the subpoena issued by the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality for her to attend the July 10 hearing.

Harry Roque legal counsel for raided Pogo hub, Pagcor chief tells Senate

Former Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque served as the legal counsel of the raided Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) Lucky South 99, according to Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) chief Alejandro Tengco.

Speaking before the Senate panel on women’s Wednesday hearing on Pogos, Tengco said Roque called his office in July 2023, asking if he could have an appointment with Pagcor.

Roque’s bank documents found in raided Pampanga Pogo – PAOCC

Bank documents of former Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque and his former executive assistant Alberto Rodulfo “AR” De La Serna were found in Lucky South 99 Corp., the raided Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (Pogo) hub in Pampanga, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) said on Wednesday.

PAOCC spokesperson Winston Casio shared photos of the documents to the media after Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) chief Alejandro Tengco revealed that Roque lobbied on behalf of Lucky South 99 Corp. during a Senate probe.

China claims it allowed medevac in West PH Sea; Tarriela says it’s ‘ridiculous’

China’s claim that it allowed the medical evacuation of a navy personnel stationed in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal is “ridiculous,” Commodore Jay Tarriela, Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, said on Wednesday.

Tarriela made the response to Chinese state tabloid Global Times’ report that Beijing allowed the medical evacuation of personnel in BRP Sierra Madre upon Manila’s request.

AFP confirms passage of Chinese aircraft carrier in Philippine Sea

A Chinese aircraft carrier was deployed in the Philippine Sea, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said on Wednesday.

AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla described the deployment of a Chinese carrier strike group in the area as “concerning.”

Alice Guo’s sister also had another identity, Senate hearing reveals

Like suspended Bamban Mayor Alice Guo, her sister Shiela also used a different identity when she applied for a National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) clearance, an official told a Senate hearing on Wednesday.

An ongoing investigation by  the Senate committee on women into illegal Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos) revealed that the suspended mayor has three siblings namely Shiela, Seimen, and Wesley.

Gatchalian: Alice Guo not homeschooled; we attended same school

No, suspended Bamban Mayor Alice Guo was not homeschooled. She also did not grow up on a farm.

This was according to Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian who presented Guo’s school documents before the Senate panel on women, revealing that he and the embattled local official, in fact, studied in the same school.

Marcoses, Aquinos have always been okay, except in politics, says Marcos

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said that his family and the Aquinos — considered bitter rivals since the 1970s — have always been okay outside of politics.

Marcos on Wednesday was asked about an Instagram post made by his wife, First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, where Joshua and Bimby Aquino were shown to be visiting her.