DILG recommends the preventive suspension of Alice Guo

By: Faith Argosino – 46 minutes ago

Alice Guo – PHOTO FROM GUO’S FACEBOOK PAGE

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) is recommending the preemptive suspension of Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo after her task force uncovered “disturbing findings of serious illegal acts that may have serious legal implications.” .

The DILG task force has been investigating Guo’s connection to a Filipino offshore gaming operator (Pogo) in the province. The DILG said its recommendation was to “prevent any influence on the ongoing investigations of our and other agencies.”

DILG Chief Benjamin Abalos Jr. said the seven-member task force led by Atty. Benjamin Zabala of the Internal Audit Service has already presented these findings to the Ombudsman’s Office.

READ: The Strange Case of Alice Guo

INQUIRER.net reached out to Abalos for more details on the task force’s report, but he has not responded by the time of publication.

“On April 5, 2024, we established a seven-member task force led by Atty. “Benjamin Zabala of our Internal Audit Service is to investigate the allegations regarding Guo’s connection to illegal pogo operations in her city,” Abalos said in a statement on Saturday.

“The Task Force’s updated report was submitted to the Office of the Ombudsman for appropriate action today, May 17, 2024. “Based on the report, there are worrying findings of serious illegal acts that may have serious legal consequences,” he added.

READ: Marcos on Mayor Guo: “Nobody knows her”

Abalos noted that the DILG does not have the authority to directly suspend or fire local officials.

“Therefore, the DILG defers to the Ombudsman any sanctions that may be imposed on Guo in accordance with its disciplinary authority over local government election officials under Section 21 of Republic Act No. 6770 (The Ombudsman Act of 1989),” he said.

Guo is currently being investigated by the Senate over the possibility that she was a Chinese “plot” trained to infiltrate the Philippine government.