Chinese People Become Mayor, Exposing Weaknesses in PH Systems

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Risa Hontiveros said the disclosure by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) that Alice Guo’s fingerprints matched those of Chinese citizen Guo Hua Ping only confirmed the numerous lapses in the laws and regulations of the country’s institutional systems.

READ: Comelec panel recommends misrepresentation case against Guo

In a statement Friday, Hontiveros said she was no longer surprised by the discovery, noting that the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) had already proven that Alice Guo and Guo Hua Ping were one and the same person.

“Gayunpaman, nakakakilabot pa rin na Chinese citizen who helps in understanding the tenets of the Pilipinas faith,” Hontiveros said.

(Still, it’s shocking that a Chinese national became mayor of a city in the Philippines.)

“It also confirms various deficiencies in the laws and regulations of many institutional systems, from the Philippine Statistics Authority to the Comelec. We encourage those who want to hear it to listen to the Senado,” she added.

(This also confirms various shortcomings in the rules and regulations of many institutional systems, from the PSA to the Comelec. So our Senate hearing continues to address these shortcomings.)

Concluding her speech, the opposition senator called on Guo to finally appear before the Senate, stressing that her life would not be normal if she continued to evade the arrest warrant issued by the upper house.

The Senate had earlier issued an arrest warrant for Guo and seven others for refusing to appear at a hearing of the women’s hearing committee on July 10 despite receiving notices.

TO READ: Guo spotted in Bulacan; law enforcement officials called to arrest mayor in a month

The document said Guo’s refusal to appear before the Senate “delayed, hindered and blocked” an investigation into reported violations of human trafficking, serious unlawful detention, and physical abuse and torture at the premises of online gaming licensee Philippine Amusement Gaming Corporation.

Guo came under scrutiny after a Senate committee on women’s affairs exposed her alleged links to an illegal company called Pogo Zun Yuan Technology Inc. in Bamban, Tarlac.

Questions have also been raised about her citizenship, leading to accusations that she is a Chinese spy – which she has vehemently denied.