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Hontiveros flags Alice Guo's 'ties with criminals' ahead of 2nd Senate face-off

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Victoria Tulad

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:875px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1716279638172171077232961620230531-senate-hontiveros-dffa-appoinment-SPRIB-2.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros on May 31, 2023. <em id="isPasted">Bibo Nueva España, Senate PRIB/File</em></span></span></span>MANILA — Sen. Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday flagged <span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none">Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo&#x27;s alleged ties to &quot;criminals&quot; a day before the Senate resumes its probe into the official&#x27;s links to illegal <span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none">Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).</span></span></div><div><span id="isPasted"><span id="isPasted"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/5/8/hontiveros-questions-nationality-of-bamban-town-mayor-1812">READ: Hontiveros questions nationality of Bamban mayor linked to POGOs</a></span></span></div><p>In a statement, Hontiveros said that based on documents from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Guo’s fellow incorporators when she was still part of Baofu Compound included Zhang Ruijin, a Chinese national convicted for the “largest money laundering case in Singapore.”</p><p>Another co-incorporator was Dominican national Baoying Lin, who also faces charges, according to Hontiveros.</p><p>Baofu Compound is the property where raided POGOs Hong Sheng and Zun Yuan used to operate.</p><p>“Ayon mismo kay Mayor, tinulungan daw siya ng mga kaibigan niya para makatakbo sa eleksyon nung 2022. Itong mga kriminal at puganteng kaibigan ba ang sinasabi niya?” Hontiveros said.</p><p>(According to Mayor herself, she was helped by her friends to run in the 2022 elections. Was she referring to these criminal and fugitive friends?)</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/regions/2024/5/20/bamban-mayor-guo-says-she-won-t-resign-will-seek-reelection-1943" id="isPasted">EXCLUSIVE: Bamban mayor Guo says she won’t resign, will seek reelection</a></div><p>“Kahit pa sabihin niyang nag-divest na siya sa Baofu bago tumakbo, the fact remains: she has ties with these criminals. Kaya ba siya tumakbong mayor para ma-protektahan niya ang mga kaibigan niya?” the senator asked.</p><p>(Even if she divested from Baofu before running, the fact remains: she has ties with these criminals. Did she run for Mayor to protect her friends?)</p><p>She further wondered if Guo’s alleged connection with criminals was the reason she was able to afford her “lavish lifestyle,” particularly her chopper and luxury cars.</p><p>Hontiveros welcomed the move of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to remove Guo’s power over the local police.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/regions/2024/5/20/dilg-recommends-stripping-alice-guo-of-authority-over-bamban-police-1337">RELATED: DILG recommends stripping Alice Guo of authority over Bamban police</a></div><p>She said she is looking forward to their hearing on Wednesday, “Sana naman may maalala na si Mayor.”</p><p>(I hope Mayor remembers already.)</p><p>In an exclusive interview with ABS-CBN News on Monday, Guo claimed she is a &quot;simple citizen.&quot; </p><p>She added that she had divested from Boafu in 2022, before she ran for town mayor, by selling it to businessman Jack Uy.</p><p>&quot;Baofu is the owner of the property. Hindi siya owner ng any POGO operation,&quot; she also said.</p><p>She admiited that she owned a <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/5/20/exclusive-alice-guo-says-she-used-to-own-a-chopper-didn-t-have-a-mclaren-1956">chopper</a> back in 2019, which she said was supposed to be used for an &quot;air taxi&quot; business idea she tried to venture in.</p><p>In the same interview, she denied being a Chinese &quot;spy&quot; and said she is a Filipino citizen. </p><div><br/></div><p><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong>DILG recommends stripping Alice Guo of authority over Bamban police</p><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2J6vo3B0Jsk?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div>

<p>Hontiveros wondered if Guo’s alleged connection with criminals was the reason she was able to afford her “lavish lifestyle."</p>

Hontiveros wondered if Guo’s alleged connection with criminals was the reason she was able to afford her “lavish lifestyle."