The Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced on Sunday that the suspended Bamban Mayor, Alice Guo, may face election-related charges due to her fingerprints matching those of Chinese passport holder Guo Hua Ping.
Comelec chairman George Garcia stated that the poll body may initiate “motu proprio” proceedings against Guo, and she could potentially face three to five years in prison for election offences.
Additionally, she could face charges of perjury or falsification for lying in a sworn document. Garcia emphasized that the country’s laws apply to everyone, regardless of nationality, and that a government official may face criminal prosecution even after being elected.
Guo had signed a statement on the Certificate of Candidature (COC) when running for mayor of Tarlac municipality in the 2022 elections, claiming to be a Filipino citizen and not a permanent resident or immigrant from another country.
She also indicated in her COC that she had lived in the Philippines for 35 years and two months, including 18 years and two months in the municipality of Bamban, Tarlac, before the May 9 polls.
Based on her COC, the 37-year-old Guo declared Tarlac as her place of birth and stated that, before the May 9 elections, she had been living in the Philippines for 35 years and two months, with 18 years and two months spent in the municipality of Bamban, Tarlac.
