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Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo. Photo from Mayor Alice Leal Guo Facebook/File

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Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:845px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/172413294328920240516-alice-guo-HO-2.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo. Photo from Mayor Alice Leal Guo Facebook"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left"></span></span></span></div><p style="text-align:left">Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo. Photo from Mayor Alice Leal Guo Facebook</p><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:left"><br/></div><div><br/></div><p>MANILA — The lawyer who notarized the counter-affidavit of Alice Guo insisted Tuesday that he saw the dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor personally on the night of Aug. 14 amid claims she had fled the country last month.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/8/20/doj-orders-probe-on-alleged-guo-escape-eyes-sanctions-1243">• DOJ orders probe on alleged Guo escape, eyes sanctions</a></div><p>A <a href="https://elibrary.judiciary.gov.ph/thebookshelf/showdocs/21/64073#:~:text=It%20is%20his%20duty%20to,the%20signature%20of%20the%20former." id="isPasted">Supreme Court ruling in 2018</a> said &quot;a notary public should not notarize a document unless the persons who signed the same are the very same persons who executed and personally appeared before him to attest to the contents and truth of what are stated therein.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Mag-a-alas-7 po yata yon ng gabi ng August 14, Wednesday... <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">Ni-refer siya ng isang kasama na ang pangalan ay &#x27;Allan&#x27;, nilapit niya sa akin para magpa-notaryo,&quot; Elmer Galicia said in<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"> an interview with DZRH.</span></span></p><p>Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian on Monday cited <span 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">Galicia&#x27;s claim that he saw Guo personally last week for the notary request following Sen. Risa Hontiveros&#x27; revelation that Guo had left the country as early as July 18. </span></p><p><span 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">Galicia&#x27;s</span> law firm is based in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan, where the National Bureau of Investigation had reported sightings of Guo.</p><div><span id="isPasted"></span></div><p>Galicia <span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">appeared before the Department of Justice on Tuesday afternoon. </span></p><div><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">He was accompanied by Bulacan Provincial Prosecutor Sonny Ocampo and Caloocan City Prosecutor Darwin Cañete. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"></span></div><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display:flex;max-width:560px;width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZm9zbnJfc29mdF9pbnRlcnZlbnRpb25zX2VuYWJsZWQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X21peGVkX21lZGlhXzE1ODk3Ijp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRyZWF0bWVudCIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3Nob3dfYmlyZHdhdGNoX3Bpdm90c19lbmFibGVkIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19kdXBsaWNhdGVfc2NyaWJlc190b19zZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdXNlX3Byb2ZpbGVfaW1hZ2Vfc2hhcGVfZW5hYmxlZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdmlkZW9faGxzX2R5bmFtaWNfbWFuaWZlc3RzXzE1MDgyIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRydWVfYml0cmF0ZSIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfbGVnYWN5X3RpbWVsaW5lX3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9mcm9udGVuZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9fQ%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1825788381474992600&amp;lang=en&amp;maxWidth=560px&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fnews-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com%2F%23%2Fworkspace%2Fmonitoring%3Fitem%3Durn%3Anewsml%3Anews-workbench-api.abs-cbn.com%3A2024-08-20T06%3A17%3A12.243965%3Ad645a816-e065-4825-beb4-26c53b43bdcd%26action%3Dcorrect%26popup&amp;sessionId=26010fb96e5f2f064382965ebe54989f66839cc8&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&amp;width=550px" style="position:static;visibility:visible;width:560px;height:316px;display:block;flex-grow:1" data-tweet-id="1825788381474992600"></iframe></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8"></script><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><span id="isPasted"><span id="isPasted"><span id="isPasted"><strong>WHAT HAPPENED ON AUG. 14</strong></span></span></span><strong><br/></strong></div><div><br/></div><p>According to the Galicia, Guo and her companions were inside their vehicle throughout the entire process and only rolled down their window to talk to him.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/8/20/hontiveros-wants-dfa-to-cancel-guo-s-ph-passport-immediately-1249">• Hontiveros wants DFA to cancel Guo&#x27;s PH passport &#x27;immediately&#x27;</a></div><p>&quot;Bilang nagsilbi ako sa mga mayor ay may paggalang ako sa kanila, hindi ko naman kayang utusan na bumaba ka nga dito... <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">Sabi ko &#x27;mayor&#x27;, sabi niya sa akin &#x27;Alice na lang po, pasensya na po kayo attorney at wala na po akong malapitan, wala na pong gustong tumulong sakin,&quot; Guo reportedly said to Galicia. </span></p><div><span id="isPasted"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/8/19/guo-has-left-philippines-says-hontiveros-1534">• Guo has left Philippines, says Hontiveros</a></span></div><div><span id="isPasted">Galicia said he had a &quot;soft spot&quot; for people in need so he proceeded to notarize Guo&#x27;s documents, adding that Guo showed her driver&#x27;s license to prove her identity. </span></div><p>&quot;May soft spot ako sa ganyan. Pakiramdam ko nangangailangan ng tulong itong tao at bakit ko ide-deny, duty ko &#x27;to bilang abogado na mag-represent,&quot; he said.</p><p>The lawyer also claimed he did not ask Guo for a fee. &quot;Wala akong siningil,&quot; he said. </p><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Galicia committed to submit an affidavit on his encounter with Guo, Deputy Prosecutor Cañete said.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">&quot;We will not be judging kung anong dapat evidence na dapat ipapakita niya. That’s up to him to volunteer any kind of information. So at this point, we&#x27;d like to thank him for cooperating with us to accepting our invitation to give light kung anong nangyari,&quot; <span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none">Cañete said.</span> </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">&quot;Kung ano yung documentation yung naproduce ngayon, tingnan natin in written form. Kasi you have to understand, kung ano man isagot niya sa inyo ngayon hindi naman under oath eh. So before you can say one party is lying or not, you have to put them under oath,&quot; he said.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><p>Gatchalian said Galicia should be invited in the Senate&#x27;s next hearing to shed light on his transaction with Guo.</p><p>Lawyer Stephen David claimed the dismissed mayor “is still in the country,” citing his conversation with her Tuesday morning. <span id="isPasted" style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><strong>– With a report from Paige Javier, ABS-CBN News</strong></span></p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO: </strong></div><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/hHASDdbbQrU?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>The lawyer who notarized the counter-affidavit of Alice Guo insisted Tuesday that he saw the dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor personally on the night of Aug. 14.</p>

The lawyer who notarized the counter-affidavit of Alice Guo insisted Tuesday that he saw the dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor personally on the night of Aug. 14.

Notary insists he saw Alice Guo on Aug. 14 amid reported escape

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Notary insists he saw Alice Guo on Aug. 14 amid reported escape

Jauhn Etienne Villaruel,

ABS-CBN News

Published August 20, 2024 02:44 PM PHT

|

Updated August 20, 2024 04:54 PM PHT

Read More:

Alice Guo

Guo

Bulacan

lawyer

notary

notary public

escape

Elmer Galicia

Sherwin Gatchalian

ANC

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