OSG forms team to ‘look’ into Bamban Mayor Guo's case

MANILA, Philippines — Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra said that the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) has formed a “team of solicitors” to gather information to determine if Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo is illegally “holding or exercising a public office”.

In a message to Philstar.com on Thursday, Guevarra said that the OSG is gathering information from several government agencies to find out if they can file a quo warranto petition against the mayor. 

“If it could be established by proof, the OSG will commence quo warranto proceedings to oust the person concerned,” Guevarra said.

A quo warranto proceeding is a legal remedy to determine a person’s right to a public office.

Rule 66 of the Rules of Court stipulates that the OSG or a fiscal shall initiate a petition for quo warranto in a court. 

The agencies from which the OSG will gather relevant information, according to Guevarra, are the following:

• Commission on Elections
• Department of the Interior and Local Government
• Department of Education
• Philippine Statistics Authority
• Bureau of Immigration
• other government agencies

The Comelec on Tuesday explained that the poll body accepted the certificate of candidacy of Guo, as they did not receive a petition to cancel her COC.

Based on the poll body’s records, Guo filed her application for registration as a voter in 2018.

It should be noted that Comelec’s jurisdiction over a candidate during election season spans from the filing of their COC to their proclamation.

However, according to a report by The STAR, the poll body did not receive a petition assailing the candidacy of Guo until her proclamation.

Guo’s identity as a Filipino citizen is being questioned over her alleged involvement in an illegal Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) firm.

It was also revealed during a Senate hearing that her birth certificate was only registered when she was already 17 years old. 

She also stated that she had been homeschooled from elementary through high school. However, she was unable to remember the name of the institution that facilitated her education. 

One of the POGO firms located in her town which is also linked to her, Zun Yuan Technology Incorporated, had 165 of its workers deported on Tuesday to Pudong District, Shanghai, China.

According to the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission, 167 were initally slated for deportation. But two workers had their departure deferred since they are facing non-bailable charges of illegal detention and trafficking in persons. 

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