The Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) has removed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo as a member of the party following her suspension by the Office of the Ombudsman.
NPC Chairman and former Senate president Vicente Sotto III confirmed this on Sunday, June 23 saying he has approved Guo’s suspension in light of the petition submitted by Tarlac Governor Susan Yap, provincial chairperson of the NPC.
In her petition, Yap said the recent controversy and the ongoing investigation on Mayor Guo and her involvement in the operations of illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) in Tarlac, human trafficking, money laundering has placed in great question her honesty and integrity, “which are tenets upon which our Party was founded.”
“The mystery of her citizenship, further, has clouded her qualification to be a member of our Party. Knowing fully that our Party would not tolerate any involvement in illegal online gambling, and other crimes, it appears fitting that given the present questions surrounding Mayor Guo, that she be removed from our Party,” Yap said in her letter to Sotto.
Guo, she said has also failed to present compelling evidence which would disprove the immense documents being introduced against her, especially about allegations she could be “Guo Hua Ping,” a Chinese individual who entered the Philippines when she was 13 years old, as alleged by Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, another NPC member.
“Her mere denial, without presentation of supporting evidence which should exculpate her name and put an end to the controversy, places her integrity at question at the moment,” Yap said.
“With humility, while we are not in any position to make declarations regarding her citizenship, as this is a matter within the jurisdiction of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and our Courts, we cannot, again, discount the volume of evidence being presented which run counter her claims of being a Filipino,” she said.
“If the evidence being presented, tending to show that Mayor Guo is ‘Guo Hua Ping,’ is proven to be true, it would then appear that there was deception from her end when she ran for public office,” added the governor.
“As our Party stands to uphold honesty and integrity, and with Mayor Guo’s character and citizenship now being in question, with the sheer volume of evidence now being lodged against her, and absent any compelling evidence being presented in order to dispel these, I humbly pray that Mayor Guo be removed from the Party,” she appealed.
In his response, Sotto agreed with Yap’s appeal and ordered her removal from the NPC.
“The NPC will not tolerate any unlawful acts or any appearance of impropriety by its members that will undermine the principle of our party,” Sotto said in a letter in response to Yap’s petition.
“In this regard, after due consultation with the leaders and members of our party and considering the gravity of charges and on-going investigations against Mayor Guo, I hereby order the removal of Mayor Alice Guo from the roster of members of the Nationalist People’s Coalition,” the former Senate chief said.
At the same time, Sotto directed NPC Secretary General, Sec. Mark Llandro Mendoza to implement the order and immediately inform Guo of her removal from the party.