Escudero willing to sign arrest warrant vs Alice Guo

Alice Guo and homeschooling composite image from INQUIRER file and stock photos

MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Francis Escudero on Tuesday said he is willing to sign the arrest warrant against Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo if Senator Risa Hontiveros will request it.

The Senate panel on women and children chaired by Hontiveros will resume its hearing on the alleged illegal activities of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (Pogo) on July 10.

Guo’s lawyer Stephen David said the suspended mayor willl not attend the hearing because she was “traumatized” after facing scrutiny on her alleged ties to Zun Yuan Technology Inc., the raided Pogo in Bamban.

READ: Alice Guo skipping Senate probe – lawyer

“If she (Guo) will not attend [the hearing], it’s up to Senator Risa if she will request to issue a warrant of arrest to force her (Guo) to attend the Senate hearing. And I will sign that warrant of arrest once requested,” Escudero said.

“If a subpoena is issued either by the court or Senate or the House of Representatives, the witness is obliged to obey it,” he added.

READ: Alice Guo warned of consequences if she snubs Senate hearing

Escudero explained that “as soon as she is arrested, a hearing will be scheduled and while the hearing is being scheduled, she will be under detention first.”

He also said that if a witness fails to attend a hearing due to a medical condition, a medical certificate should be presented. There is also a doctor in the Senate who can examine the witness, he added.

READ: Guo skipping Senate hearing; Hontiveros warns of arrest

Hontiveros warned Guo that “if she doesn’t honor the subpoena, the Senate is well within its rights to issue an arrest order [against her].”