The Office of the Ombudsman (OMB) has stood pat on its order that imposed a six-month preventive suspension on Mayor Alice Leal Guo of Bamban, Tarlac and two other town officials over administrative charges of grave misconduct, conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, and gross neglect of duty.
In a ruling issued last June 18 and made public on Tuesday, June 25, the OMB denied Guo's motion to lift her preventive suspension ordered last May 31 by Ombudsman Samuel R. Martires.
Also denied were the motions to lift filed by Guo's co-respondents Bamban town's Business Permit and Licensing Officer (BPLO) Edwin Ocampo and Municipal Legal Officer Adenn Sigua.
In its suspension order, the OMB ruled that "there is strong evidence showing their guilt, that the charges against them involves Grave Misconduct, Conduct Prejudicial to the Best Interest of the Service, and Gross Neglect of Duty, which may warrant their removal from the service, that their continued stay in office may prejudice the investigation of the case filed against them; that there is a need to preserve the documents and evidence pertaining to this case which they may have control and custody; and in addition, in order to avoid the commission of further malfeasance and/or malfeasance in office.”
Guo, Ocampo and Sigua filed motions to lift their preventive suspension. They alleged that there is "no substantial evidence" in the charges filed against them.
In denying the motions, the OMB said: "After due consideration of the factual circumstances of the instant case, this Office finds no compelling reason to reconsider and lift the Order of preventive suspension of respondents Guo, Campo, and Sigua while the case against them is pending adjudication."
The OMB pointed out that there are sufficient grounds to "hold that the evidence against respondents Guo, Ocampo, and Sigua is strong at this time."
It said that Guo's undeniable business interest in Baofu is shown in one of the documents -- the Tarlac Electric Cooperative, Inc. Statement of Account dated March 8, 2024 -- which was seized during the March 13 raid in the Baofu compound for alleged human trafficking and serious illegal detention.
It also said the documents on record show that Baofu compound and Zun Yuan Technology operated their respective businesses with permits processed by the BPLO and issued by Guo. Sigua, on the other hand, knew and had prior acquaintances with Guo since he was the one who notarized each of the Deed of Absolute Sale covering the eight parcels of land that Guo bought, it added.
"It is well to stress that a preventive suspension is not a penalty but is merely a 'preventive measure, a preliminary step in an administrative investigation; the purpose thereof is to prevent the accused from using his position and the powers and prerogative of his office to influence potential witnesses or to tamper with records which maybe vital in the protection of the case against him,'" the order added.
The preventive suspension was issued after the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) filed a complaint against Guo, Campo, and Sigua for their reported involvement in the offshore gaming operation called Zun Yuan Technology in Bamban, Tarlac and Hongsheng Gaming Technology, Inc.
Zun Yuan Technology was raided by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) last March 13, 2024 for alleged human trafficking and illegal detention, while the police raided Hongsheng Gaming on Feb. 1, 2023 for alleged fraudulent cryptocurrency operations.
The criminal complaints against Guo and several others involved in Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub in Bamban have also been filed before the Department of Justice (DOJ) by the PAOCC and the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG).
Guo, former Technology and Livelihood Resource Center (TLRC) deputy director general Dennis Cunanan, and 12 other officials and incorporators were charged with violations of Sections 4 and 6 of Republic Act No. 9208, the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003 as amended by R.A. No. 10364, as further amended by R.A. No. 11862.
Given the number of cases being faced by Guo, Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada has suggested that the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) should consider freezing all assets of the suspended mayor.
Estrada considers it "a crucial step in preventing the disposition of purported illegally acquired assets that may be subject to investigation."