Misrepresentation rap vs Guo

Dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo —House of Representatives photo

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has formally filed the material misrepresentation case against Alice Guo before the Tarlac regional trial court (RTC) on Tuesday, adding to the pileup of criminal cases the dismissed Mayor of Bamban town has been facing.

The criminal information has been filed by the Comelec law department representative and lawyers from the Comelec Central Luzon regional office. It was received by the Office of the Clerk of Court of Tarlac RTC at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday.

“The accused … willfully and unlawfully commit material misrepresentation by filing her certificate of candidacy for the position of Mayor of the Municipality of Bamban, Province of Tarlac, and declaring under oath that she is eligible for the position she seeks to be elected, when in truth and in fact, she is a Chinese citizen and a resident of Fujian, China,” the charge sheet read.

READ: Alice Guo will no longer seek reelection as Bamban mayor

Comelec Chair George Garcia said they were expecting the court to issue another warrant of arrest against Guo “immediately,” after the case has been raffled off to the sala of a judge of a specific branch in Tarlac RTC.

He earlier said the poll body would file a motion to change the venue of the case trial from the Tarlac RTC to any RTC in the National Capital Region in consideration of “the safety and security of everyone, the accused, our witnesses and our lawyers.”