Court says Alice Guo is Chinese, erases her term as Bamban mayor

A local court has ruled that Alice Guo is Chinese and erased her term as Bamban, Tarlac mayor.

The decision from the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 34, dated June 27, stated that Guo is "undoubtedly a Chinese citizen, born by Chinese parents namely: Guo Jian Zhong and Li Wenyi," according to a Rappler report.

As per ABS-CBN News, the court, under presiding judge Liwliwa Bidalgo-Bucu, also said that Alice Leal Guo and Chinese citizen Guo Hua Ping are the same person.

The RTC granted an instant petition for quo warranto filed by the Office of the Solicitor General. A quo warranto is a legal remedy to challenge a person's right to hold a public office. It may be filed on the groud of ineligibility based on citizenship during the respondent's tenure.

Despite the Office of the Ombudsman dismissing Guo from service in August 2024, the court said that it would still not render the petition moot. She was sacked for "grave misconduct" in connection with the alleged illegal activities of POGO hubs in her town.

"Considering the peculiar circumstances involved and the novelty of the case, the Court will not shun away from its bounden duty to litigate," the decision read.

It also said that Guo's case was a matter of national security, as a foreign national was able to "circumvent the law by posing herself as a Filipino citizen" to enter public office.

"Alice Leal Guo is nothing more but a usurper of the Office of the Mayor of Bamban, Tarlac. It follows, therefore, that her proclamation was deemed void,” the court said, as per Rappler.