MANILA, Philippines — Senator Risa Hontiveros on Friday slammed suspended Bamban Mayor Alice Guo for having more Facebook posts than her attendance at Senate hearings.
“Hindi katumbas ng attendance mo sa Senado ang maya’t-maya mong pagso-social media,” the senator said in a statement. “Attendance before the Senate hearings is adherence to the rule of law,” she added.
(Your social media postings do not equal your Senate hearing attendance.)
This came after Guo posted a statement on Thursday saying that she regrets not being able to attend the last two Senate hearings “due to severe exhaustion and trauma.”
The Senate issued an arrest order against Guo and seven others for skipping the July 10 hearing of the committee on women into the illegal operations of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (Pogos) in Tarlac.
Based on the arrest order, the suspended mayor’s non-attendance in the Senate hearings “delayed, impeded and obstructed” the investigations on reports of human trafficking, physical torture and violence, and serious illegal detention done by illegal Pogos.
READ: Arrest Alice Guo, others – Senate
Citing Guo’s remark on prioritizing her health and peace of mind to properly address the legal issues against her, Hontiveros said that she will not achieve peace of mind if she keeps avoiding questions thrown at her.
Guo also denied in her statement the accusations of her involvement in Pogo-related crimes, but Hontiveros dismissed Guo’s denial as a lie.
“Nagsinungaling ka tungkol sa tungkol sa koneksyon mo sa Pogo, nagsinungaling ka tungkol sa pagkatao mo, at kada log-in mo sa Facebook, may bago ka na namang iniimbento,” said Hontiveros.
(You lied about your connection to Pogo. You lied about your identity and every time you log in to Facebook, you have new lies.)
Last Friday, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said that several billions of pesos entered the bank accounts of the suspended mayor in a span of three years. The Court of Appeals also ordered the freezing of her and other individuals’ assets allegedly involved in illegal Pogos.
An initial investigation conducted by the Senate panel on women chaired by Hontiveros found that Guo was associated with Zun Yuan Technology Incorporated, a Pogo that took over Hongsheng Gaming Technology Incorporated.
Hongsheng was raided in February 2023, and then it was replaced by Zun Yuan in the same location. It was raided again in March 2024 for charges of alleged human trafficking and serious illegal detention.
READ: The peculiar case of Alice Guo