MANILA, Philippines — Suspended Bamban Mayor Alice Guo’s troubles continue to mount as the Commission on Elections (Comelec) issued her a subpoena for material misrepresentation on Tuesday.
The Comelec’s law department had recommended the issuance of the subpoena earlier this August. This adds to the long list of government agencies seeking Guo.
The Senate had previously issued a warrant for Guo’s arrest for failing to attend their hearings.
“Nag-serve tayo ng subpoena doon sa known address ng respondent, na kilala bilang Alice Leal Guo,” Comelec Assistant Regional Election Director Elmo Duque said in a media interview.
(We served a subpoena at the known address of the respondent, known as Alice Leal Guo.)
According to Comelec officials, the address in Virgen Delos Remedios Farm is the one listed in her certificate of candidacy. However, the person who answered the door refused to provide their name and was not authorized to officially receive the documents. A copy of the subpoena was still handed to the personnel on the property.
Another copy of the subpoena was served at Guo’s office as the Bamban mayor, where it was received by her secretary. Guo was not present at her office or her residence.
“It is a waiver on her part if she does not respond to the subpoena and the complaint attached with the supporting documents,” Duque said.
The Comelec also conducted its own fact-finding mission following the National Bureau of Investigation’s probe into Guo.
The controversy surrounding Guo’s case has raised national security concerns, with suspicions that she might be a Chinese national masquerading as a Filipino to secure a government position. This has also led to questions about the integrity of national institutions such as the Philippine Statistics Authority and the Bureau of Immigration.
The situation began in March when a raid on a Philippine offshore gaming operators hub in Bamban revealed evidence of human trafficking, torture and more. Although President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has since banned such gaming hubs, authorities continue to search for Guo.
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