Alice Guo

What will happen to the marriages solemnized by dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo, if and when she is proven to be not a Filipino citizen? 

4Ps Party-list Rep. JC Abalos raised this question on Monday night, Sept. 16 during the House plenary debate on the proposed 2025 budget of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). 

The answer first entails determining how many couples were actually married under Guo's authority as mayor. 

"For example, naputunayan na nga po na hindi Pilipino si mayor Alice Guo...ano po yung epekto nito sa mga marriages na isinolemnize niya?...Ang ibig sabihin po nito, magiging void na rin po ba lahat ng mga Pilipinong ikinasal niya?" a concerned Abalos asked. 

(For example, it is proven that mayor Alice Guo isn't Filipino...what effect will this have on marriages that she solemnized?...Does this mean that all the marriages of Filipinos that she administered would be voided?) 

Abalos noted that as per law, a person who does not have the authority to solemnize can't make a marriage official. 

"Madam Speaker, your Honor, napakaganda ng issue na ni-raise (a very good issue has been raise)," PSA budget sponsor, Marikina City 2nd district Rep. Stella Quimbo, said in response to the party-list solon. 

"One step at a time, sabi ng ating [PSA]. Sa ngayon po, they are in the process of cancelling ito pong birth certificate ni Alice Guo," Quimbo said. 

(The PSA is taking it one step at a time. So right now, they are in the process of cancelling Alice Guo's birth certificate.) 

"As soon as that is approved by the court, ay pabalikan po lahat po ng marriages solemnized by Alice Guo. Nasa records naman po lahat yun," noted the sponsor, who is also senior vice chairperson of the Committee on Appropriations. 

(They will refer back to all marriages solemnized by Alice Guo. It's all in the records.) 

In good faith 

Later, in a chance interview with House reporters, PSA National Statistician Dennis Mapa, said the agency's legal division was already studying the matter of Guo's solemnizing authority should she get stripped of her Filipino citizenship. 

"Yung mga lawyers namin hinahanap nila kung ano magiging effect. Kasi may sinabi sila na provision na in good faith naman, not necessarily [ma-void]," he said. 

(Our lawyers have been looking into the likely effect. Because they've mentioned a provision that says it's not necessarily voided if it was carried out in good faith.) 

"So una muna, hindi pa kasi natin alam kung ilan talaga yung kinasal niya. So yun yung ginagawa ngayon ng aming team, tinitingnan ilan ba yung marriages na si mayor Alice...Baka naman wala," Mapa added. 

(So first, we still don't know how many marriages she solemnized. So that's what our team is doing now, we're looking into how many marriages we're handled by mayor Alice...maybe there's none.) 

Guo is being linked to illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) and is central figure in the congressional investigations on the issue. She reportedly hails from China. 

Last August, the Office of the Ombudsman dismissed Guo as Bamban town mayor after she was found guilty of grave misconduct.