DFA cancels  passport of Guo as she plans poll bid

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has canceled the Philippine passport of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo after investigations revealed that it was “fraudulently acquired.”

The DFA on Friday said that based on the certification issued by the National Bureau of Investigation on Aug. 24, the biometric data of Guo in the agency’s passport database matched those of “Guo Hua Ping,” a Chinese. The cancellation took effect on Sept. 30.

“The DFA is committed to upholding the security and integrity of issuing Philippine passports and assures the public that fraudulent application and acquisition of passports are referred to law enforcement agencies for investigation and prosecution,” the DFA said in a statement.

“The DFA enforces zero tolerance policy for unscrupulous individuals circumventing the Philippine passport application and issuance procedures,” the agency added.

The Office of the Ombudsman earlier dismissed Guo from government service and perpetually disqualified her from holding public office for grave misconduct due to her alleged involvement in the operations of a raided Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) in her town.

COC filing

This development came as Stephen David, Guo’s lawyer, told reporters that the former official will “definitely” run for mayor of Bamban in the 2025 elections. Guo is detained in the Pasig City Jail for a qualified human trafficking charge.

According to David, Guo is confident that her legal battles will not hinder her chances of regaining her seat in Bamban.

Guo, he said, will file her certificate of candidacy (COC) on Oct. 8, the last day of filing for national and local candidates participating in next year’s polls. The lawyer, however, said Guo’s camp had yet to decide on how the COC would be filed.

“Right now, there’s a lot of negative publicity, many are sympathizing, but she has also done good things for the town of Bamban. There are still many who love her,” David said.

Guo is also facing a case filed by the Office of the Solicitor General before the Tarlac Regional Trial Court seeking to cancel her birth certificate.

Biometric evidence

But David said: “It’s a long process. Will it be canceled? She is a Filipina. There’s no court, as of now, that has ruled that she’s not Filipino.”

At least three senators on Friday conceded that the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is “constrained” to accept Guo’s COC, but they reminded the poll body of its duty to stop foreigners pretending to be Filipinos from joining the country’s electoral process.

Sen. Joel Villanueva said the NBI and other state agencies had presented biometric evidence supposedly proving that Guo’s real identity is “Guo Hua Ping,” a Chinese who entered the country in 2003.

Villanueva also noted that the Comelec had already filed a case for material misrepresentation against Guo for running for public office in 2022.

“It would be ridiculous if she would still be allowed to run again,” he told reporters in a Viber message on Friday.

“You cannot deny that ‘Guo Hua Ping’ is a fake Filipino who used a fake birth certificate … Guo and her Pogo sponsors are mocking and disrespecting our laws.” Villanueva added.

Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada said the Comelec must ensure that every candidate participating in the 2025 midterm elections would comply with the requirements for those seeking elective posts.

“[The Comelec] should make sure that no voters will be fooled by candidates who lack qualifications,” Estrada said.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III, a lawyer, agreed that Guo could still be allowed to run since her criminal cases, including the issue over her citizenship, were still pending in courts.

Duty-bound

“[But her] existing criminal cases can be used as political issues [against her] during the campaign,” Pimentel said.

Guo, who fled the country on July 18 and was arrested in Indonesia on Sept. 4, is also facing charges of graft and corruption, money laundering and tax evasion, among others.

The Comelec said it was duty-bound to accept COCs filed by political aspirants.

“The duty of the Comelec is merely to receive the COC, just as long as the form is complete, properly accomplished, notarized and with documentary stamp. We don’t have the discretion of rejecting the filing of a COC,” Comelec Chair George Erwin Garcia said in a television interview on Friday.

However, whether the name of any aspirant will appear on the official ballot is a different matter, he said.

Clarifying that his comment was not directed at any specific candidate, Garcia said any candidate, upon petition by a third party or by Comelec acting motu proprio (on its own), may be declared a nuisance candidate or may be disqualified for other reasons under the law.

The Comelec, he said, may also cancel the COC of a candidate whom the Ombudsman had penalized administratively, including being disqualified from holding any public office.

Garcia said such disqualification, even if appealed, is immediately executory unless restrained by a higher tribunal, such as the Court of Appeals.

“We have a resolution [in Comelec] stating that the decision of the Ombudsman in administrative cases is immediately executory although it may be subject to appeal and not yet final. That is why the Comelec, in compliance with the law and in recognition of the powers of the Office of the Ombudsman, will immediately implement the [penalty of perpetual disqualification],” he said.

Any candidate charged with a crime remains eligible to run for public office until there is final judgment or conviction, Garcia said in a separate radio interview.

“Until there is conviction, even if [the candidate] is behind bars, he can run, more so when his case is still on appeal. Again, we have no choice but to accept everyone’s COC. Our duty is ministerial for the meantime, our discretion comes later,” he said.

Legal battle

Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra also said that Guo could still file her COC since none of the cases against her had attained finality.

“The Comelec is duty-bound to accept Guo’s certificate of candidacy, unless it later disqualifies Guo for some valid reason. Ultimately though, it is the electorate who will decide if Alice Guo deserves to hold public office,” Guevarra said in a text message sent to reporters on Friday.

David said they filed a motion for reconsideration on the Ombudsman’s decision to dismiss Guo and were prepared to exhaust their legal remedy up to the Supreme Court.

“She needs to run to truly show her love for the people, especially for Bamban. If the people there really want her, they should be the ones to judge; the people should decide whether she is worthy to hold office in their area. What’s happening is just technicalities—she’s not being allowed to run, she’s being disqualified. But that’s not final yet,” David said.

When asked, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said the DOJ would oppose Guo’s candidacy.

“I wouldn’t say it’s her right but she can try. I wouldn’t say it’s her right because she’s not Filipino and she bears falsified documents,” Remulla told reporters.

Meanwhile, Guo’s eight coaccused in the human trafficking case were transferred to the Pasig City Jail from the Tarlac Provincial Jail on Thursday.

Jail Superintendent Jayrex Bustinera, spokesperson for the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, identified the coaccused as Walter Wong Long, Shicong Zhang, Huang Yue Hai, Ma The Pong, Wang Weili, Wuli Dong, Nong Ding Chang and Lang Xu Po. —WITH A REPORT FROM NESTOR CORRALES INQ