Senator Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday underscored that Mayor Alice Guo of Bamban, Tarlac has many “red flags” as she aired support to remove her power over the local police.
Hontiveros, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Women, has been looking into the alleged ties of Guo with criminals, who were fellow incorporators of her company, Baofu Land Development, Inc.
Since she seems to be a protector of criminals, Hontiveros said Guo should no longer have access to policemen in her area.
According to Baofu’s 2019 Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) documents, it listed Guo among its incorporators, including Filipino national Rachel Joan Malonzo Carreon, Cypriot national Zhiyang Huang, Chinese national Zhang Ruijin, and Dominican national Baoying Lin.
Hontiveros noted that Zhang was convicted last month after he was linked to the reported “largest money laundering case in Singapore.” Lin is also facing charges.
According to a report by Channel News Asia, Zhang has “$41 million in assets overseas, including shareholdings in a Philippine real estate development company.”
Hontiveros also noted that the Bamban mayor admitted that her friends helped her when she ran for mayor in 2022.
“Was she referring to these criminals and fugitives as the friends who helped her?” the senator asked.
Although she testified about divesting her shares from Baofu before she ran for mayor, the fact remains: she has ties with these criminals.
Hontiveros doubted the motivation of Guo in running for mayor.
“Did she run for mayor to protect her friends?”
According to Hontiveros, she is looking forward to their hearing today. She expressed hope that the mayor will remember.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline Hontiveros cites the many “red flags” of Alice Guo in her business, political ties