MANILA, Philippines — Dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo on Friday asked the Department of Justice to dismiss the human trafficking charges against her.
The charges against Guo and 13 others were filed by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) and the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in June.
Guo called the charges baseless in her counter-affidavit.
“I am executing this counter-affidavit to attest to the truth of all the foregoing statements and in support of my prayer for the dismissal of the complaint for violation of Secs. 4 and 6 of RA (Republic Act) No. 9208, as amended by RA No. 10364, as further amended by RA No. 11862,” Guo said in her affidavit, which was released to reporters.
The law that Guo is referring to is the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act. Guo said that the complained lacked a “probable cause to stand trial.”
“It would be grossly unfair to further entertain this baseless complaint,” she added.
Guo’s name became synonymous with Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators following a raid on an illegal gaming hub in Bamban in March. A Senate investigation triggered probes from various government agencies, from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to the Commission on Election (Comelec).
During their investigation, the PAOCC found that the compound’s electric bills were under Guo’s name.
According to Guo, a mere electric bill cannot be enough to tag her in charge, as it was only a document for energy charges.
“It does not state with certainty who is actually present at the property or if there are illegal activities taking place,” Guo said.
Guo also said that she did not receive any information that any illegal activities were taking place in the compound, hence there was no reason that she would have any knowledge of any alleged wrongdoings.
Despite pleading her innocence, Guo has largely disappeared from the public spotlight as charges against her continue to mount. The Comelec had recently issued Guo a subpoena, and she still has an arrest warrant from the Senate. Police and the NBI have been on the lookout for the former Bamban mayor.
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