THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Friday said it is looking into filing a criminal case against suspended Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo.
Comelec chief George Erwin Garcia said a case for misrepresentation can be filed against Guo for supposedly making false claims in her Certificate of Candidacy (COC) when she ran for mayor in the 2022 elections.
“We are closely monitoring the developments. If the evidence warrants, yes, we will,” Garcia said in a phone interview.
The Comelec chair, meanwhile, noted that a disqualification case can no longer be filed against Guo since she has been proclaimed and assumed the post.
However, Garcia said the embattled mayor faces disqualification if she decides to seek reelection next year.
“If she files a COC anew for the 2025 elections, she will be vulnerable to such petitions,” he added.
On Thursday, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) reported that Guo’s fingerprints matched that of a Chinese woman named Guo Hua Ping, possibly indicating that they are the same person.
Reports said Guo Hua Ping entered the Philippines in 2003, when she was just 13 years old.
The mayor is also being accused of links with illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators. (PNA)
