October 5, 2024 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has canceled the Philippine passport of dismissed Bamban mayor Alice Guo, saying that it was acquired through fraudulent means.
In a statement yesterday, the DFA said it received a certification issued by the National Bureau of Investigation that the biometrics of Alice Leal Guo in the passport database match the biometrics of Guo Hua Ping in NBI files.
The DFA said it received the certification dated Aug. 24 on Sept. 18 and immediately issued a cancellation of Guo’s Philippine passport effective Sept. 30.
In a statement, the DFA said Guo’s passport was canceled on grounds that the same was “acquired fraudulently, tampered with or issued erroneously.”
Guo to file COC next week
Guo’s camp yesterday said she is scheduled to file her certificate of candidacy (COC) next week, expressing confidence that she will win reelection, “as many are pushing for her to run,” Guo’s legal counsel Stephen David said.
David has announced that Guo will still file her COC despite being detained at the Pasig City Jail amid the cases filed against her.
He added that the 2025 election will also prove that Guo is still loved by the people of Bamban.
David maintained that the question on the nationality of Guo is not yet final and is still pending before the court.
Guo is also facing graft charges before the Valenzuela City Regional Trial Court Branch 282. Jailed tycoon and self-confessed Chinese spy She Zhijiang in an Al Jazeera documentary also claimed that Guo is a Chinese spy.
Shiela’s deportation
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) yesterday started its hearing to determine if Shiela Guo, alleged sister of Alice Guo, would be deported.
A board of special inquiry chaired by Gilberto Repizo from the BI would find out if Shiela should be held liable for misrepresenting herself as a Filipino, according to a report on GMA News.
During the hearing, she stood beside photos of her Philippine passport and her three alleged Chinese passports.
While Shiela denied the allegations, Repizo said he has initially formed “a reasonable opinion” on what she could possibly hide.
However, he said the on-the-spot comparison of her facial features with those on the four passports “will not itself determine the outcome of the case,” with more documents expected to be presented.
The BI gave Shiela’s camp seven days to reply.
Alice Guo might also undergo a similar hearing, Repizo said. — Bella Cariaso, Ghio Ong
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