Hontiveros raises concerns over Bamban mayor’s Chinese ties
SENATOR Risa Hontiveros questioned the real identity of Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, raising concerns that she may be a Chinese “asset.”
During a press conference, Hontiveros pointed out instances where Guo allegedly lied during the Senate hearing last Tuesday, May 7. The hearing was conducted by Hontiveros-led committee on women, children, family relations and gender equality, which is investigating a recently-raided Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (Pogo) firm in Bamban.
“She lied. There were several questions where she lied. The most stark and shocking example is when she denied that she had a connection with Hong Sheng. Municipal Government documents show that she heads it now. So, institutionally, she should be affirming that she is the representative of Hong Sheng, which requested a Letter of No Objection from the Municipal Council,” she said in a mix of Tagalog and English.
“So, how can she say she has nothing to do with Hong Sheng?” she added.
Based on the documents presented by Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian during the hearing, Guo, then a private citizen, represented Hong Sheng Gaming Technology Inc. when it applied for a license to operate in the municipality of Bamban in September 2020.
The firm was raided in February 2023 but continued its operation under Zun Yuan Technology Inc. (ZYTI), which is located in the Baofu Land Development
Inc. near the municipal hall of Bamban.
Guo denied being a protector of any Pogo firm or having any involvement in their operations.
Hontiveros also noted that Guo has no official records proving her Filipino nationality.
Guo only registered her live birth with the Philippine Statistics Authority when she was already 17 years old.
During the hearing, Guo said she lacks hospital birth records and school records as she claimed to have been homeschooled.
The mayor mentioned growing up in a well-off family with a businessman father.
Hontiveros also stated during the press conference that no Bamban resident knew Guo before she ran for office in the 2022 elections.
“Is Mayor Alice, and those like her with mysterious pasts, assets that China has inserted into our government to have significant political influence in the Philippines? There are many other cases like that in other countries, so this is not new, and we should investigate,” she said.
The senator also said that the Department of the Interior and Local Government has forwarded its recommendation to the Office of the Ombudsman regarding possible administrative charges against Guo and several local officials of Bamban in relation to the raid on March 13 at ZYTI, which resulted in the rescue of 800 employees, including around 500 foreigners, of which 427 were Chinese nationals.
Hontiveros has expressed concern over the reported involvement of ZYTI in surveillance activities and hacking of government websites.