Court rules Alice Guo is Chinese, voids mayorship

A Manila court has voided the Tarlac town mayorship of Alice Guo, who has been suspected as a foreign spy, as it ruled that she is "undoubtedly a Chinese citizen."

- By DAPHNE GALVEZ

In a 67-page ruling dated June 27, the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 34 ruled Guo is "nothing more but a usurper" of the Office of the Mayor of Bamban, Tarlac, since she was not only disqualified to hold the position but also from running for the post in the first place as only natural-born Filipinos can run for office under the Constitution.

It said it did not matter if Guo was elected as mayor in 2022 since this does not cure her of being disqualified due to lack of Philippine citizenship, which the court said, "was already existing at the time of the filing of her certificate of candidacy."

"It follows, therefore, that her proclamation was deemed void. Alice Guo is found disqualified from and is hereby adjudged guilty of usurping and exercising the Office of the Mayor of Bamban, Tarlac.

Accordingly, she is hereby ousted and altogether excluded therefrom," Manila RTC Branch 34 Judge Liwliwa Hidalgo-Bucu said in the ruling.

The ruling stemmed from the quo warranto petition filed by the Office of the Solicitor General. It is an exclusive power of the solicitor general to remove a public official who it deems holding a position unlawfully because seen as unqualified or ineligible.

The court found that Guo is "undisputedly" a Chinese national named Guo Hua Ping, who was born of Chinese parents Guo Jian Zhong and Lin Wenyi. She and her parents are holders of Chinese passports.