Bamban Mayor Alice Guo’s purported Chinese mother is reportedly no longer in the Philippines, according to Senator Sherwin Gatchalian.
The Bureau of Immigration has informed the Senate that Guo’s presumed mother, Lin Wen Yi, also referred to as “Winnie,” and father, Jian Zhong Guo, have not returned from their foreign travels. It was suggested by Gatchalian in an interview with dzBB that the two might still be in China, where they are from.
In an effort to disprove allegations that Guo had lied about having a Filipino housemaid as her mother, Gatchalian had earlier asked Guo to take a DNA test with Lin Wen. “This situation makes our request for a DNA test with the mother unlikely,” Gatchalian said.
Gatchalian stated that the parents had traveled to China at least 170 times over a six-year period, stating that “since they are Chinese citizens, they are free to go to China and never come back.”
Furthermore, given that there is no record of Amelia Leal Guo in the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) database, Gatchalian speculated that the name on Guo’s birth certificate might be false.
The weaknesses in the PSA’s late birth registration process, which is frequently taken advantage of by foreign people posing as Filipinos, were brought to light by Guo’s application for a birth certificate at the age of 19.
“To purchase land or get a passport, you must have a birth certificate. In this instance, even though the birth certificate was flawed and erroneous, it was also utilized to file for public office, the senator stated.
To investigate the possibility of bringing a quo warranto case against Guo for allegedly falsely identifying herself as a Filipino during her mayoral campaign, a team from the Office of the Solicitor General was assembled.
Gatchalian stressed that as the investigation into the role of criminal syndicates deepens, there is a need for an executive session during the next Senate hearing. The planned hearing on Wednesday, he said, will be closed-door at the request of law enforcement organizations hunting for anyone involved in illegal activity financed by money laundered from offshore casino enterprises.
“The agencies requested an executive session because their investigations are ongoing, and certain details cannot be publicly disclosed as they continue to pursue those under investigation,” Gatchalian explained.
“They only have preliminary findings, which also impact national security, and thus cannot be shared with the public at this time. But once the investigation is formally over, the public may be comfortable that these matters will be disclosed in public, he continued.
Since she requested for local permits for the POGO hub Hongsheng Gaming Technology prior to entering politics, nascent Mayor Guo has been connected to illicit Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) operations in Tarlac.
Following the 2023 raid on Hongsheng, the company was renamed Zun Yuan Technologies, and this March’s raid on Bamban was directed towards it. The 10-hectare site was busted for people trafficking, hacking, and scams. It is situated behind the town hall where Guo is employed. The Baofu Land Development compound, which Guo formerly owned, is where this hub is located as well.
Two of Guo’s Baofu colleagues, Zhang Ruijin and Lin Baoying, are involved in the $3 billion largest money laundering case in Singapore.
