Comelec wants Guo misrepresentation case tried in NCR

Dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo —House of Representatives photo

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) plans to officially file the material misrepresentation case against dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo on Oct. 28. But the poll body will request that her trial be conducted in the National Capital Region (NCR), instead of Tarlac province, due to security concerns.

“This is not because we do not trust the courts—in fact, we place our full trust in the judiciary and the judges. However, we must also consider the safety and security of everyone, [Guo], our witnesses and our lawyers,” Comelec chair George Garcia told reporters on Wednesday.

“In addition, it will be more orderly since the accused is here,” he said. Guo is currently detained at Pasig City Jail.

In a resolution on Oct. 8, the Comelec en banc approved the recommendation of its law department to charge her for violating Section 74 in relation to Section 262 of the Omnibus Election Code.

The material representation case against Guo is based on what she stated under oath in her certificate of candidacy for the 2022 elections that she was a natural-born Filipino citizen.

“Verily, respondent is not a Filipino citizen, and there is no factual basis to support that she renounced her Chinese citizenship. Respondent is not a natural-born Filipino citizen, or even by naturalization. Thus, the existence of the first condition of material misrepresentation is beyond question,” the Comelec said in its resolution.

The poll body also agreed with the findings of the National Bureau of Investigation that her fingerprints were identical to those of Chinese national Guo Hua Ping.