Senator Risa Hontiveros (left) and Bamban Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo
DISMISSED Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo plans Dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo plans reelection bid in next year’s elections, her lawyer confirmed in a TV interview.
This decision comes after the Commission on Elections (Comelec) declared it lacked the authority to cancel her certificate of candidacy (CoC) earlier this week.
“Of course, her love for Bamban, her love for her town… why not let the people decide if she wants to run? Anyway, if she does not want, she’s not winning,” Guo’s lawyer, Stephen David, said in Filipino.
Guo was removed from office by the Ombudsman after being charged with involvement in illegal Philippine offshore gaming operations (POGOs) in Bamban. However, her camp is awaiting a decision on whether she will be permanently disqualified from holding public office.
Senator Risa Hontiveros, expressing concern over Guo’s reelection bid, urged Filipinos to be vigilant. “I certainly hope that there will not be another ‘Alice Guo’ running for public office in 2025. This is a huge insult to our institutions that there’s a foreigner that became a mayor of a Philippine town,” she wrote on her social media post on Thursday. “This should not happen.”
Hontiveros emphasized the potential for POGO syndicates to influence elections. “Comelec and the public must remain vigilant. POGO syndicates are very much able and willing to fund political campaigns of individuals who can protect their interests,” she said.
The senator suggested reviewing existing laws to address candidates who misrepresent their qualifications. “And for candidates who are faking their credentials: You will be caught. Do not aspire to be another Alice Guo. You will be held accountable by the law,” she said.
Guo, who served as Bamban mayor from June 30, 2022, until her dismissal on August 13, is currently detained at Camp Crame after attempting to evade arrest by fleeing to Indonesia.
next year’s elections, her lawyer confirmed in a TV interview. This decision comes after the Commission on Elections (Comelec) declared it lacked the authority to cancel her certificate of candidacy (CoC) earlier this week.
“Of course, her love for Bamban, her love for her town… why not let the people decide if she wants to run? Anyway, if she does not want, she’s not winning,” Guo’s lawyer, Stephen David, said in Filipino.
Guo was removed from office by the Ombudsman after being charged with involvement in illegal Philippine offshore gaming operations (POGOs) in Bamban. However, her camp is awaiting a decision on whether she will be permanently disqualified from holding public office.
Senator Risa Hontiveros, expressing concern over Guo’s reelection bid, urged Filipinos to be vigilant. “I certainly hope that there will not be another ‘Alice Guo’ running for public office in 2025. This is a huge insult to our institutions that there’s a foreigner that became a mayor of a Philippine town,” she wrote on her social media post on Thursday. “This should not happen.”
Hontiveros emphasized the potential for POGO syndicates to influence elections. “Comelec and the public must remain vigilant. POGO syndicates are very much able and willing to fund political campaigns of individuals who can protect their interests,” she said.
