The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) on Tuesday filed material misrepresentation charges against dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo, in connection to her candidacy in the 2022 elections.
Guo was accused of violating Section 74 of the Omnibus Election Code, in relation to Section 262 of the same code. The charges were filed with the Tarlac Regional Trial Court (RTC).
"That on or about October 01, 2021, and during the period for the filing of Certificates of Candidacy in connection with the May 09, 2022 National and Local Elections in the Municipality of Bamban, Province of Tarlac, and within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, the accused Alice Leal Guo/Hua Ping Lin Guo, did then and there, willfully and unlawfully, commit material misrepresentation by filing her Certificate of Candidacy for the position of Mayor of the Municipality of Bamban, Province of Tarlac, and declaring under oath that she is eligible for the position she seeks to be elected, when in truth and in fact, she is a Chinese citizen and a resident of Fujian, China," COMELEC said in the case document.
The embattled mayor was dismissed from office in August following an order from the Office of the Ombudsman.
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) previously confirmed that Guo's fingerprints matched those of a Chinese citizen named Guo Hua Ping during their investigation.
Furthermore, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) also cancelled her passport.
Guo faces charges of graft, qualified human trafficking, money laundering, and tax evasion linked to her alleged involvement with the Philippines Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub in her town.
