Bamban Mayor Alice Guo | PHOTO: Official facebook page Sen. Risa Hontiveros
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) is recommending that Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo be preventively suspended after its task force uncovered “troubling findings of serious illegal acts which may have severe legal implications.”
The DILG task force has been investigating Guo’s connection to a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (Pogo) in the province.
In its recommendation, the national government agency said that Guo’s suspension is “to prevent any influence on the continuing investigations of our and other agencies.”
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DILG chief Benjamin Abalos Jr. said the seven-man task force headed by Atty. Benjamin Zabala of their Internal Audit Service has already submitted these findings to the Office of the Ombudsman.
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INQUIRER.net has asked Abalos for more details about the task force’s report, but he has yet to reply as of posting.
Illegal Pogo operations
“On April 5, 2024, we created a 7-man Task Force headed by Atty. Benjamin Zabala of our Internal Audit Service to investigate the allegations concerning Guo’s link to illegal Pogo operations in her town,” Abalos said in a statement on Saturday.
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“The Task Force’s updated report has been submitted today, May 17, 2024, to the Office of the Ombudsman for their appropriate action. Based on the report, there are troubling findings of serious illegal acts which may have severe legal implications,” he added.
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Meanwhile, Abalos pointed out that the DILG has no power to suspend or dismiss local officials directly.
Sanctions
“Hence, the DILG defers to the Ombudsman regarding any sanctions that may be imposed against Guo, in line with its disciplinary authority over elective officials of local governments 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 is a Chinese “asset” trained to infiltrate the Philippine government.