Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros on Friday, July 19, took a swipe against suspended Bamban Mayor Alice Guo for alleging that lawmakers are obsessed about her when in truth, senators are just allergic to liars.
“Huwag kayong mag-alala, hindi kami fixated sa'yo. Allergic lang kami sa mga sinungaling (Don’t worry we are not fixated on you. We are just allergic to liars),” Hontiveros said.
Hontiveros, who is leading the Senate’s investigation on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO)- related crimes, also slammed the local chief executive for issuing statements through Facebook or social media instead of facing the Upper Chamber’s probe.
“Mayor Alice Guo o Guo Hua Ping, mas marami pa kayong post sa Facebook kaysa sa attendance sa (you have more post on Facebook than you have attended the) Senate hearing,” the senator noted.
“Attendance before the Senate hearings is adherence to the rule of law,” she stressed.
“So sadly for you, hindi katumbas ng attendance mo sa Senado ang maya’t-maya mong pagso-social media (your attendance in the Senate does not equate to your frequent rants on social media),” Hontiveros pointed out.
Hontiveros further criticized the mayor for claiming her mental health is affected and using it to skip the Senate’s probe.
“Paano ka magkakaroon ng peace of mind kung palagi ka na lang iiwas sa mga tanong (How can you have peace of mind if you always evade the questions)?” the senator stressed.
“Kung nakakalimutan mo, pinapatawag ka dahil nasa gitna ka ng pang-aabuso ng POGO sa mga batas natin, na hinayaan mong lumawak dahil sa impluwensya mo bilang Mayor (Have you forgotten that you were summoned because you are at the center of the POGO abuses on our country’s laws, and that you allowed this to spread because you used your influence as a mayor),” the lawmaker further said.
“Nagsinungaling ka tungkol sa koneksyon mo sa POGO, nagsinungaling ka tungkol sa pagkatao mo, at kada log-in mo sa Facebook, may bago ka na namang iniimbento (You lied about your connection to POGOs, you lied about your personality and each time you log in on Facebook, you invent another lie),” she reiterated.
The Senate committee on women and children which Hontiveros heads has been investigating Guo for her connection to the two POGO hubs in her town that authorities earlier raided due to alleged human trafficking and other criminal activities.
Senators have also questioned her identity following inconsistencies with her answers about her nationality and personal life.
The Senate has already issued an arrest order against Guo after she repeatedly skipped the panel’s public hearing.