MANILA, Philippines — The legal team of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo expressed relief for her “safe apprehension” in Indonesia but appealed to the public not to prejudge her.
Guo, also known as Guo Hua Ping, was arrested in Tangerang City, Jakarta, Indonesia, at 1:30 a.m. on Wednesday. She is under the custody of the Indonesian police at Jatanras Mabes Polri.
“She may not know or realize it by now, but this recent event can be a good start for all her cases,” Stephen David, Guo’s lawyer said in a statement late Wednesday night.
“This is a welcome development for us so that we can answer the allegations and issues thrown against her,” he said.
However, David said that he was also “deeply concerned about her health, safety, and security.”
“We trust that Alice L. Guo will demonstrate her courage and resilience in the face of adversity and in properly answering the charges and accusations against her,” he said.
David added, “Nevertheless, we would like to remind the public that unless proven otherwise, Alice L. Guo is innocent.”
He said that as guaranteed by the 1987 Constitution, Guo “deserves to be represented by a counsel of her choice and has the right to prove her innocence before the courts of law.”
“In relation to this, we respectfully urge the public to refrain from making crude and malicious comments and baseless accusations as all matters related to our client will be ventilated and answered in the proper forum and before courts of competent jurisdiction,” David said.
Guo’s sister, Shiela, and business associate Cassandra Ong, were arrested in August in Batam, Indonesia. The Guo siblings are believed to be Chinese but fraudulently obtained Philippine birth certificates and passports.
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