Alice Guo (Facebook)

Dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo visibly lost her cool for the first time in the House quad-committee (quad-comm) hearings on Friday night, Sept. 27 after solons confronted her about being an alleged spy from China. 

While this particular allegation wasn't new, Guo appeared very agitated when congressmen ran an Al Jazeera documentary about Chinese tycoon She Zhijiang during the hearing.

Excerpts of this documentary were played during the back-to-back interpellations of Davao Oriental 2nd district Rep. Cheeno Miguel Almario and Puwersa ng Bayanjng Atleta (PBA) Party-list Rep. Margarita "Migs" Nograles. 

Curiously, Guo, who is supposed also known by her Chinese name Guo Hua Ping, was named in the documentary in the form of an entry in She's dossier. 

One of the excerpts shown to the special four-way panel was She's personal appeal to the ex-mayor and Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) personality. 

"Guo Hua Ping. China cannot be trusted. The two of us once dedicated our lives to China's Ministry of State Security. Look at that happened to me. If you don't want to be eliminated, you should tell the world the truth," said She. 

Almario said: "I think this in itself speaks volumes na. Nakakainis na time and time again, dine-deny ni Guo Hua Ping lahat ng mga questions namin sa kanya." 

(It's frustrating that time and time again, Guo Hua Ping haa denied all the questions that we ask her). 

When he asked if she knew She Zhijiang, Guo said, "Hindi ko po siya kilala at sana po your honor, Mr. Chair, makuha ko rin po yung details, gusto ko pong magdemanda. Hindi ko po sila kilala." 

(I don't know him and I hope your honor, Mr. Chair, that I can get the details, I want to sue. I don't know them.) 

So riled up was the usually docile Guo that she told the quad-comm that she would also press charges against Al Jazeera. But Almario said that was neither here nor there. 

"Hindi natin made-demanda Ms. Alice dahil kasi he's detained in Thailand (Ms. Alice, you won't be able to press charges because he's detained in Thailand.) 

The dossier entry on Guo Hua Ping identified his mother as a certain Chinese woman Lin Wen Yi, and her birthplace as Fujian province in China. These are contrary to Guo's claims in the ongoing congressional inquiries. 

The documentary traced Guo's family address to the local office of the Chinese communist party. 

Almario believed that the detained She was telling the truth, since he was already being pinned by the Ministry of State Security and thus "had nothing more to lose".

'Masyado kang defensive'

During Nograles' interpellation, Guo told the congresswoman to direct her questions to She instead. "It's better for you to ask him kasi siya po yung naglabas ng video....definitely hindi po ako spy". 

(It's better for you to ask him because he's the one who releases the video....definitely I'm not a spy.) 

"Relax ka lang. Bakit ka galit? (Just relax. Why are you mad?)" Nograles asked the resource person. 

"Kasi po ganun din po yung nangyari last time. Sinasabi po nila spy ako. Mahal ko po ang Pilipinas, Pilipino po ako. Hindi po ako spy," answered Guo. 

(Because that's what happened last time. They're saying that I'm a spy. I love the Philippines, I'm a Filipino. I'm not a spy.) 

Nograles, a deputy majority leader, shot back: OK, relax lang. Relax ka lang (OK, just relax. Just relax) You don't have to be so riled up if you know the truth, right? 

"Masyado kang defensive. Mga actuations mo (You're being too defensive. You're actuations)--it's showing something, Ms. Guo," added Nograles. 

Guo said it was "unfair" to brand her as a Chinese spy. 

In a rather comedic twist, Guo had to temporarily act as Chinese translator for another resource person, Tony Yang, later in the hearing. So good was Guo that quad-comm co-chairman, Santa Rosa City lone district Rep. Dan Fernandez quipped that she should be regularly tapped as translator.