Alice Guo (Mark Balmores/ MANILA BULLETIN)

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III said the concerns regarding the citizenship of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo will finally be dealt with once she files her certificate of candidacy (COC).

According to her legal counsel Stephen David, Guo is set to file her COC to once again run for mayor.

“This is, I think, the best time to raise it. Kasi kung nag-file na ng COC, may deklarasyon ka do’n that I’m a Filipino citizen (Because if you’ve filed a COC, you’re declaring that you're a Filipino citizen),” Pimentel pointed out during a press conference on Monday, Oct. 7

The senator said an interested party who can prove before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) that Guo wasn't a Filipino citizen, will result in her COC being canceled or denied due course.

According to the Supreme Court (SC), the denial of due course is based on a finding that the candidate made a material representation that is false. This pertains to the qualifications for the public office they seek, which they declare in their COC as being eligible for. 

“Ito na ‘yung (This is the) categorical case which will now say if she’s a Filipino or not,” said Pimentel.

“Yung pag-cancel ng passport, hindi naman ‘yun eh, kasi marami namang Pilipino na walang passport eh na tunay na Pilipino eh. So, there must be one exact case na citizenship ang ruling,” he added, referring to the Department of Foreign Affairs’ (DFA) move to cancel Guo’s Filipino passport as she seeks a mayoral bid.

(The cancellation of the passport is not relevant because many Filipinos don't have a passport and are still true Filipinos. So, there must be one exact case where citizenship is the ruling.)

Guo, who is currently detained over charges of qualified human trafficking linked to illegal Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs), is alleged to be a Chinese spy named Guo Hua Ping. 

Pimentel points out that Guo is merely filing a COC to be consistent with her claim that she is a Filipino citizen. 

“Ang theory niya she’s a Filipino eh, gusto rin niya ipakita na ang actions niya consistent don (Her theory is that she’s a Filipino, and she also wants to show that her actions are consistent with that),” he continued.  

Chances of winning

During the 2022 elections, Guo won the mayoral seat by edging her closest opponent, Joey Salting, by only 468 votes.

Should she win in the upcoming elections in May 2025, Pimentel said this would be invalidated once Guo is declared non-Filipino and therefore not qualified.

The Senate minority leader, however, says that the ongoing issues against her are already threatening her candidacy.

“All these issues ay hawak naman ng kalaban niya, pwedeng i-raise sa kaniya sa entablado (All these issues are in the hands of her opponent, who can raise them against her on stage). Legitimate naman ‘yung to raise it sa entablado (It is legitimate to raise them on stage), these are not political attacks, these are legitimate political issues,” he stressed.

Aside from qualified human trafficking, Guo is also facing graft, money laundering, and tax evasion charges.

She is a central figure in congressional inquiries on the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) issue.