The Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 34 has ousted dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo, ruling that she is actually Chinese national Guo Hua Ping. The court granted an instant petition for quo warranto, declaring Guo’s appointment and entire mayoral term void.
In a decision dated June 27, presided over by Judge Liwliwa Bidalgo-Bucu, the court established that Guo Hua Ping and Alice Leal Guo are the same person. The petition was filed by the Office of the Solicitor General.
Guo argued that the case was moot since the Office of the Ombudsman had already ordered her dismissal from service in August 2024. However, the court stated, “Considering the peculiar circumstances involved and the novelty of the case, the Court will not shun away from its bounden duty to litigate.”
Guo was dismissed for alleged grave misconduct related to connections with a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operation (POGO), citing risks to national security. The court also referenced fingerprint evidence that linked her identity to another person, noting that the fingerprints of both individuals were identical, with 15 matching ridge characteristics on their right middle and index fingers.
The court dismissed a petition-in-intervention from Jose Salting Jr., who sought to fill the mayoral position after receiving the second-highest number of votes in the 2022 elections. The court ruled that the second-placer rule “undermines the people’s choice in every election and is repugnant to the people’s constitutional right to suffrage.”