Court ruling vs. Alice Guo reinforces deportation case – BI

By Ferdinand Patinio, Philippine News Agency

FILE: Alice Guo testifies before the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality on Sept. 9, 2024. (PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan)

MANILA – The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Monday welcomed the decision of the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) declaring dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo as a Chinese national, saying it strengthens the deportation case filed against her.

In a statement, Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said the court’s ruling voiding Guo’s mayorship and officially declaring her ineligible for public office affirms the findings based on immigration records and biometrics identifying her as Chinese national Guo Hua Ping.

“This is a major win for the national government. This case reveals how a foreign national was able to penetrate public office using false documents and a fabricated identity,” he said.

“The Bureau has long initiated deportation proceedings against Guo. This court decision further cements our legal basis and supports the government’s ongoing efforts to protect our borders and institutions,” Viado added.

In its ruling, the Manila court granted the quo warranto petition filed by the Office of the Solicitor General, ruling that Guo was never qualified to run for mayor of Bamban, Tarlac.

It gave weight to the absence of civil registry records for Guo’s supposed Filipino parents, and to the fingerprint analysis by the National Bureau of Investigation confirming that Guo is indeed Guo Hua Ping, a Chinese citizen who arrived in the Philippines in 1999 under a Special Investors Resident Visa.

“This case highlights the dangers of foreign infiltration and how it can threaten national security from within,” Viado said.

Viado reaffirmed the BI’s commitment to support the ongoing investigations and ensure that Guo is held accountable under the full force of the law.

“It is our duty at the Bureau of Immigration to detect, deter, and remove foreign nationals who misrepresent themselves to gain access to positions of power,” he said.

Guo has been in detention for nearly 10 months over various charges, including qualified human trafficking, money laundering, and graft, all tied to her alleged links with a transnational criminal network operating scam hubs in Bamban.