Guo’s inconsistent testimonies deepen mystery of her personality

MANILA – Senators have found inconsistencies and discrepancies in Bamban Mayor Alice Guo’s documents and testimonies, which, they believe, deepen the mystery of the personality of the controversial local official of Tarlac province.

During Wednesday’s Senate inquiry on Guo’s link to raided Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) in Bamban, Senate Committee on Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality chairperson Senator Risa Hontiveros said government documents contradict Guo’s statement posted online that she is a love child of Angelito Guo, a Chinese from Fujian, and Amelia Leal, the family househelper.

Hontiveros said contrary to Guo’s claim, Angelito and Amelia have two other children – Sheila Leal Guo and Siemen Leal Guo.

“Base pa rin sa mga dokumentong ito, una yung birth certificate nyo at ngayon yung birth certificate nung dalawang kinonfirm ni tatay nyo na kapatid nyo, paano po yung iniwan ka ng nanay mo nung pinanganak ka ng 1986? Pero, siya pa din ang nanay ng kapatid mong si Siemen na pinanganak naman nung 1988 (Based on these documents, first your birth certificate and now the birth certificates of the two confirmed by your father as your siblings, how did your mother abandon you when you were born in 1986? But she is also the mother of your brother Siemen who was born in 1988),” she said.

Guo replied, “Hindi ko po nakita yung birth certificate po nila at hindi rin po ako yung nag-prepare po. Wala po akong idea po doon sa birth certificate po nila (I didn’t see their birth certificates and I wasn’t the one who prepared either. I have no idea about their birth certificates.”

Hontiveros also found out that Angelito and Amelia got married on Oct. 14, 1982 but both have no birth certificates.

“So, maitatanong talaga, hindi po kaya Angelito Guo and Amelia Leal Guo don't even exist (So, it can really be asked, can it be that Angelito Guo and Amelia Leal Guo don't even exist)?" she said.

“Itong dalawang taong ito, na according to the documentary evidence, have three children, but according to you, Mayor, have only one child, apparently don't even exist? So hindi ko maklaro, lumalabo po yung kwento ng buhay ninyo (These two people, who according to the documentary evidence, have three children, but according to you, Mayor, have only one child, apparently don't even exist? So I can't make it clear. The story of your life is getting unclear)."

Hontiveros noted that Guo’s birth certificate is “riddled with holes” as his father, Angelito, who is a Chinese passport holder, was declared a Filipino.

“Ang tinatanong ko po, bakit siya ay Chinese national with a Chinese passport at dahil wala silang dual citizenship, hindi siya pwedeng simultaneously Filipino citizen. Bakit po ganyan? (What I'm asking is, why is he a Chinese national with a Chinese passport and since they don't have dual citizenship, he can't be a Filipino citizen simultaneously. Why is that?),” she asked.

“Your Honor, ayaw ko po magsinungaling. Ang tatay ko po ay Chinese at hindi po ako yung nag-prepare po ng birth certificate ko po (Your Honor, I don't want to lie. My father is Chinese and I was not the one who prepared my birth certificate),” Guo replied.

The lady senator said Guo’s father, along with other personalities, including Alice’s midwife, will be among those who will be summoned in the next Senate hearing to shed light on the Bamban mayor’s true identity.

“Mas lalong lumalalim ang misteryo ng pagkatao ni Mayor Guo (The mystery of Mayor Guo’s personality deepens),” Hontiveros told reporters after the Senate hearing.

She also said Guo’s net worth, based on her Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN), increased by PHP140 million from PHP36 million in the past six years.

Guo explained that she borrowed PHP250 million from the bank for her piggery farm.

She also clarified that she is not the owner of a McLaren 620R sports car displayed in a car show and the Baofu compound where two raided POGOs were located.

When asked if she owns a chopper, Guo said she had already sold it, payable in six months, to a British company.

In previous media interviews, the lady mayor has denied that she is a spy of China, saying she a Filipino and “I love my country.”

Senator Raffy Tulfo has asked Guo to undergo a lie detector test, to which the mayor agreed.

“Don’t try to get public sympathy by presenting (a) sad teleserye story,” Tulfo said in a news release.

"Paulit-ulit mong sinasabi sa hearing na ito na kasambahay ang nanay mo. Pinapalabas mo na kawawa ka at nanggaling sa humble beginnings. Pero siya ay kasal sa papa mo. Maraming butas ang statements mo (You repeatedly said in this hearing that your mother was a househelper. You make it appear that you are poor and come from humble beginnings. But she is married to your father. Your statements have many holes,” he commented. (Leonel Abasola/PNA)