September 9, 2024 | 6:27pm
MANILA, Philippines — The collective temper of the Senate flared anew on Monday, September 9 upon former Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo’s insistence on her Philippine identity, despite being presented with her alleged Chinese passport.
Guo and Sen. Risa Hontiveros, the Chair of the Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality, faced off for the first time in three months since the former mayor’s disappearance.
Faced with the simple question of who she was, Guo immediately invoked her right to self-incrimination.
“Hindi ko kinoconfirm at may kaso na po sa aking sinampa, sasagutin ko po sa korte,” Guo said.
(I do not confirm it and there is already a case filed against me, I will answer it in court.)
Guo maintained her identity throughout the more than five-hour long hearing.
However, Hontiveros said that Guo was not incriminating herself because she was not the one who filed for her late birth certification. She also said that this right does not shield her from answering legitimate questions from the Senate.
“Identity questions are within the purview of the committee. The Senate has a right to know: who are we talking to?” Hontiveros said in a mix of English and Filipino.
Guo insisted that she is Alice Guo, but confirmed that her parents are Guo Jian Zhong and Lin Wen Yi. Guo admitted that Zhong is Chinese while separate bank documents show that Yi is also Chinese.
The National Bureau of Investigation has previously confirmed that Guo’s fingerprints matched with a certain Chinese national named “Guo Hua Ping”. NBI Director Director Jaime Santiago, who was present in the hearing, stood by the agency’s results, saying that fingerprints never lie.
Guo, who is known to have a history of being inconsistent with her answers and her stances, said that she does not know how this happened.
If this was not enough, Hontiveros presented to Guo her alleged Chinese passport and asked her if this was her.
“I am Alice Guo,” Guo said.
“No! That is not my question to you!” Hontiveros said.
Guo had three default answers for most of the senators’ questions: either she does not know or remember, she invoked her right to self-incrimination, and her life was under threat.
The senators had little patience for Guo after waiting three months for the chance to question her again over her alleged ties to POGOs.
“Nakakapikon ka na! (You are frustrating!)” said Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada.
The typically even-tempered Hontiveros was also visibly irate, saying that she was getting impatient.
Guo was cited in contempt for supposedly lying to the committee. The Senate is currently vying to keep her in their detention, with Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino pointing out lapses in the case filed against her. However, she still remains in police custody while the Senate coordinates with the Tarlac court that issued an arrest warrant for Guo.
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