Metro Manila, Philippines – Suspended Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo is still in the country and considering turning herself in, her lawyer said Monday, as authorities have yet to serve the Senate’s arrest warrant against her for skipping hearings on illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) activities.
“50-50,” Guo’s lawyer Stephen David said in a phone interview when asked if Guo intends to appear in the Senate.
“Una, ang advice ko sa kanya mag-appear ka, i-honor natin ang legal process… Sayang naman yung buhay natin na masasayang sa pagtatago, magiging fugitive ka,” David said.
[Translation: First, my advice to her is to appear and honor the legal process… It’s a waste of our lives to spend it hiding; you’ll become a fugitive.]
“Samantala kung mag-aappear ka – hindi naman ‘yun para parusahan ka kasi may presumption of innocence pa rin naman ‘di ba. Kaya lang naman siya magappear para icompel siya na magsalita kung ano nalalaman niya as a resource person doon sa Senate inquiry,” he added.
[Translation: Meanwhile, if she appears—it’s not to punish her because there is still a presumption of innocence, right? The only reason for her to appear is to compel her to speak about what she knows as a resource person in the Senate inquiry.]
David said he also told his client that the warrant of arrest could be lifted as soon as she speaks up. Still, he said he could not force his client to take his legal advice, especially because Guo is citing threats to her life.
On Saturday, the Senate Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms and the police tried to serve the arrest order on Guo, but she could not be found at her residence in Bamban. Of the seven other people ordered arrested by the Senate, only Guo’s alleged former accountant, Nancy Gamo, is under custody.
Official information from the Bureau of Immigration shows Guo is still in the country, said Senator Risa Hontiveros, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality, which is leading the probe on Guo.
“Sa mga missing in action parin: Magpakita na kayo. Hindi mabubura ng inyong pagtatago ang katotohanan (To those still missing in action: Surrender. Hiding will not erase the truth),” Hontiveros said.
