SC affirms subpoena vs Guo
Metro Manila, Philippines - The Supreme Court (SC) has upheld the Senate subpoena against former Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo to attend congressional inquiries on supposed illegal Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) activities.
The court, in a decision penned by Associate Justice Japar Dimaampao, junked the petition of Guo – whose real name is Guo Hua Ping – which challenged a contempt order released by the Senate.
The Senate committee on women, children, family relations, and gender equality – chaired by Senator Risa Hontiveros – issued an arrest order against Guo after she skipped the hearings twice.
Before her absence, Guo attended two hearings wherein she was asked about her identity, connections to certain people, and her business records.
In her petition, the former mayor asked for the lifting of the contempt order against her as she said the Senate hearings violated her constitutional rights to due process, privacy, and security.
But the court said investigations followed the Constitution and the Senate Rules of Procedure, noting that citing individuals in contempt is a legislative power.
“The SC emphasized that Guo’s rights were not violated and the inquiry was a legitimate exercise of legislative power aimed at protecting the public interest and upholding the law,” the court said on Friday, Aug. 15.
“The questions asked about Guo’s identity, family, relationships, assets, and businesses were relevant and necessary to the inquiry,” it added.
The court further explained that “public officials have a limited expectation of privacy when their actions involve official functions or matters of national interest.”
Hontiveros welcomed the decision.
“This ruling strengthens the Senate’s ability to uncover the truth in matters of urgent public interest, such as the infiltration of illegal POGO operations and the alarming allegations surrounding former Bamban Mayor Guo Hua Ping,” she said in a statement.
“The decision reaffirms what the Constitution clearly provides: that legislative inquiries in aid of legislation - when conducted under our established rules - are a vital tool for accountability and the creation of policies which protect public interest and guard our nation’s sovereignty,” the senator added.
During the course of the hearings, Guo was tagged as a Chinese spy after senators showed documents that she is a Chinese national. The former mayor denied the allegation.
Guo is also facing election code violation charges for misrepresenting herself as a Filipino when she ran for mayor.
After escaping the Philippines amid the Senate hearings, Guo was arrested in Indonesia.
READ: Alice Guo slips past immigration system
She has been detained at Pasig City Jail as she faces qualified trafficking and money laundering charges.
