Councilor cleared in Pogo probe is acting Bamban mayor

Bamban town councilor Erano Timbang (right) takes oath before Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. as he assumes mayoralty post temporarily, replacing former mayor Alice Guo who was dismissed by Ombudsman over illegal Pogo links. —INQUIRER.net/John Eric Mendoza

MANILA, Philippines — A municipal councilor will step in as acting mayor of Bamban, Tarlac, following the dismissal of Mayor Alice Guo for grave misconduct due to her alleged involvement in the illegal activities of a Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) in her town. Erano Timbang will serve as interim replacement while Bamban Vice Mayor Leonardo Anunciacion, who also faced investigation related to the Pogo, is yet to complete his three-month suspension as ordered by the Office of the Ombudsman, according to Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr.

Timbang was sworn into office by Abalos at Camp Crame on Wednesday.

READ: Ombudsman ousts Guo as mayor for Pogo role

Nine other Bamban municipal councilors were also suspended but Timbang was cleared by the antigraft body since he had opposed the issuance of a permit to the Pogo, which authorities raided in March for alleged human trafficking.

“What happened in our town was unfortunate, but rest assured that I will continue the projects of the former administration. I will do my best to serve our citizens,” Timbang told reporters after his oathtaking.

Abalos said Anunciacion, who was also found guilty by the Ombudsman of conduct prejudicial to the interest of government service, will take over as mayor “by succession” after he had served his suspension.

‘Letter of no objection’

In a phone interview on Wednesday, Anunciacion said he would file a motion for reconsideration on the Ombudsman’s decision to suspend him.

Anunciacion said that as vice mayor and presiding officer of the municipal council, he only testified to the approval of the letter of no objection (Lono) to the 2023 application of Zun Yuan Technology Inc. to be a Pogo in the town.

He recalled that Guo asked one councilor to include the Lono application on the agenda.

“At that time, the council had not received any complaints or information about the illegal activities of Zun Yuan until there was the March [2024] raid,” he said.

It was Councilor Rainier Rivera who moved to have the Lono approved, he added

According to Anunciacion, the session records show that Timbang first opposed the Lono but eventually approved to make it a “unanimous decision.”

“I did not vote for the Lono because there was no tie to break,” he told the Inquirer.

Misrepresentation

Also on Wednesday, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said it would still pursue its complaint against Guo for misrepresentation even after her removal from office.

According to Comelec Chair George Garcia, Guo could still file a certificate of candidacy (COC) in October for the 2025 elections but it would be “administratively canceled” by the poll body.

“As far as the Comelec is concerned, this misrepresentation complaint is separate and independent from the other cases of Guo. Even if the Ombudsman ordered her dismissal, our case against her will push through,” Garcia said during the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum.

10 days to reply

The Comelec on Tuesday served a subpoena at Guo’s known address in a farm at Barangay Virgen delos Remedios in Bamban, but only a caretaker was present to receive the document.

The ex-mayor was given 10 days to answer the complaint that she lied when she declared she was a natural-born Filipino on the COC she filed for the 2022 local elections.

Guo faces six years in prison if found guilty of material representation. She also faces a separate complaint of perjury from the Department of Justice because of the documents she used in her run for mayor. —with a report from Dexter Cabalza