September 9, 2024 | 11:19am
MANILA, Philippines — Senators will fight to detain former Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo in the Senate.
The Senate used to have the exclusive right to detain Guo after she was arrested in Jakarta, Indonesia. However, a Tarlac court suddenly issued an arrest warrant for Guo on the day she was set to return to the Philippines. Sen. Risa Hontiveros had to request the court to allow Guo to attend the Monday, September 9 hearing.
Guo arrived to a media frenzy, as the country eagerly awaited to hear how she managed to slip through Philippine authorities despite being plunged into the national limelight. Police and security personnel surrounded Guo. She wore a bulletproof vest and handcuffs, which were concealed from plain view.
Before Guo could even speak, however, Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino said he would file a motion at the proper time to keep Guo in the Senate.
“At the proper time, mamaya po, I will file a motion, directing this committee, to take cognizance of Alice Guo, at dito na muna iditine sa Senado,” Tolentino said.
(At the proper time, later, I will file a motion, directing this committee, to take cognisance of Alice Guo, and detain her here.)
Hontiveros, the chair of the Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality, said that she will welcome it. She earlier made the statement that it was the Senate that had the order to arrest her.
“We have jurisdiction, considering also that we were the first one to issue a warrant of arrest,” Sen. Joel Villanueva said.
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