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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Manila RTC rules Alice Guo a Chinese national, not qualified as Tarlac town mayor

Manila RTC rules Alice Guo a Chinese national, not qualified as Tarlac town mayor

Published Jun 29, 2025 03:57 pm
The Manila City regional trial court (RTC) has nullified the 2022 proclamation of Alice L. Guo as mayor of Bamban, Tarlac for being a Chinese national.
“Alice Leal Guo is nothing more but a usurper of the Office of the Mayor of Bamban, Tarlac. It follows, therefore, that her proclamation was deemed void,” the RTC ruled in a decision handed down by Judge Liwliwa Hidalgo-Bucu of Branch 34.
In 2024, the Office of the Ombudsman (OMB) ordered the dismissal of Guo as mayor for grave misconduct on complaints filed by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
Thereafter, the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) filed a quo warranto case against Guo before the Manila RTC and challenged her authority and qualification to discharge the functions of Bamban town mayor.
The OSG told the court that Guo Hua Ping arrived in the Philippines on July 12, 1999 with her Chinese parents, Guo Juan Zhong and Lin Wenyi.
Then solicitor general Menardo I. Guevarra said the dismissal of Guo by the OMB will not affect the quo warranto petition.
In granting the quo warranto petition, the RTC ruled: “Alice Leal Guo is found disqualified from and is hereby adjudged guilty of usurping and exercising the Office of the Mayor of Bamban, Tarlac. Accordingly, she is hereby ousted and altogether excluded therefrom.”
It said that “Guo Hua Ping is undoubtedly a Chinese citizen, born by Chinese parents namely: Guo Jian Zhong and Lin Wenyi.”
Two pieces of evidence were given weight by the RTC in its decision. These were: there exist no birth, death and even marriage records for Alice Guo’s alleged parents, and a signature expert testifying that Alice Guo’s fingerprint matches with the Chinese national Guo Hua Ping.
“She and her parents are holders of Chinese passports,” the court said.
Guo ran for mayor of Bamban town in 2022 and won.
In September 2024, the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a non-bailable qualified trafficking in persons case against Guo and several co-accused before the Pasig City RTC.
Aside from Guo, also charged in court were Dennis Cunanan, a former Technology and Livelihood Resource Center (TLRC) deputy director general and representative of Zun Yuan Technology, as well as 12 executives and founders of the three companies and Guo’s alleged business partners.
Among the co-accused of Guo and Cunanan are business partners Huang Zhiyang, Zhang Ruijin, and Baoying Li.
They were charged with violations of Republic Act (RA) 9208, the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003.
The case arose from the alleged illegal activities committed by Zun Yuan Technology Center, a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) in Bamban town that was raided in March 2024 by law enforcers.
The DOJ had also filed 26 counts of money laundering cases against Guo for allegedly conducting transactions involving monetary instruments or property derived from unlawful activity.
Guo is currently detained at the Pasig City Jail Female Dormitory, following her transfer from Camp Crame as ordered by the court.
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