Guo asks SC to stop Senate from summoning her to POGO hearings

Adrian Ayalin

ABS-CBN News

<p style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal">MANILA — The lawyers of suspended Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo filed a petition for certiorari before the Supreme Court Wednesday to block the invitations and subpoena of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality.</p><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;min-height:15px"><br/></div><p style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal">A petition for certiorari seeks a review by a higher court of a decision by a lower court or body.</p><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal"> </div><p style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal">Respondent to the petition is committee chairperson Sen. Risa Hontiveros, who has been leading the Senate investigation into illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operation hubs and Guo’s alleged involvement in them.</p><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal"><br/></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal"><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/7/10/senate-panel-cites-alice-guo-in-contempt-to-seek-arrest-warrant-1044">RELATED: Senate panel cites Alice Guo in contempt, to seek arrest warrant</a></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal"><br/></div><p style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal">The petition for certiorari also includes a prayer for the issuance of a temporary restraining order from implementing a subpoena and from tapping Guo as a resource person in the hearings.</p><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;min-height:15px"><br/></div><p style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal">Guo has missed the past two hearings, citing her health and the stress that she has gone through in the inquiries that she did attend.</p><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal"> </div><p style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal">The mayor, whose identity and citizenship have been cast into doubt by the hearings, has also asked the high court to direct the committee to desist from further inviting or causing the mayor to appear before the Senate.</p><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal"> </div><p style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal">Her lawyers said that Guo has already been judged guilty of all sorts of crimes, having been tagged as a “spy”, “POGO operator”, “involved in human trafficking” and a “corrupt” public official.</p><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal"> </div><p style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal">“Her Constitutionally guaranteed freedoms and rights have been repeatedly violated, ignored, and/or disregarded,” Guo’s lawyers said in the petition.</p><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal"><br/></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal"><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/6/27/fingerprints-of-alice-guo-guo-hua-ping-match-hontiveros-says-1726">RELATED: Fingerprints of Alice Guo, Chinese national Guo Hua Ping match, Hontiveros says</a></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal"><br/></div><p style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal">Guo’s camp says Hontiveros committed grave abuse of discretion and violated the mayor’s right to her privacy.</p><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal"> </div><p style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal">Among the documents “clandestinely and surreptitiously” shown by the committee to the media and the public are Guo’s birth certificate, Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth, National Bureau of Investigation Clearance and  General Information Sheet of registered companies.</p><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;min-height:15px"><br/></div><p style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal">“While it is submitted that the respondent Committee presented documents that are public records coming from different instrumentalities, it is respectfully submitted that these documents, though public in nature, contain data and information that are personal and private in character, which are definitely not for public consumption,” Guo’s lawyers said.</p><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal"><br/></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal"><strong>GUO ALREADY SUBJECT TO OMBUDSMAN PROBE, DOJ COMPLAINTS</strong></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal"> </div><p style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal">Guo’s lawyers also pointed out that several cases and complaints have already been filed against the mayor, including criminal and administrative complaints before the Office of the Ombudsman, human trafficking complaints before the Department of Justice.</p><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal"> </div><p style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal">It was also noted that the Office of the Solicitor General has already filed a petition for the cancellation of Guo’s birth certificate and is preparing for a quo warranto case that may cause her removal from office.</p><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal"> </div><p style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal">“This only shows that whatever will be discussed, asked, and presented during the committee hearing were already part of the different cases filed against the Petitioner and anything she will answer, divulge, or present will definitely be used against her, in violation of her right against self-incrimination,” Guo’s lawyers said.</p><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal"><br/></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal"><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-video 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<p>Guo has missed the past two hearings, citing her health and the stress that she has gone through in the inquiries that she did attend.</p>

Guo has missed the past two hearings, citing her health and the stress that she has gone through in the inquiries that she did attend.

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Guo asks SC to stop Senate from summoning her to POGO hearings

Guo asks SC to stop Senate from summoning her to POGO hearings

Adrian Ayalin,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jul 10, 2024 05:37 PM PHT

|

Updated Jul 11, 2024 01:06 AM PHT

Read More:

Alice Guo

Risa Hontiveros

Supreme Court

POGO

Bamban

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