Netizens on social media were quick to heap praises on Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros after her committee unmasked the real identity of suspended Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo whose fingerprints matched to that of ‘Guo Huaping,’ a Chinese national.
Hontiveros backed the suspicions earlier raised by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian who obtained an old photo of ‘Guo Huaping,’ whose facial features bore a striking resemblance to the embattled mayor, as well as documents from the Board of Investments (BOI) and the Bureau of Immigration (BI).
Gatchalian said he was convinced that Mayor Guo and ‘Guo Huaping’ are one and the same person despite her repeated denials. She entered the country under a Special Investor’s Resident Visa (SIRV) program accompanied by her full-blooded Chinese parents.
On Wednesday, Hontiveros revealed that the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has a separate record of someone named ‘Alice Leal Guo’ from Tarlac, who strangely has the exact same birthdate as the mayor.
This fueled further suspicions that the mayor may have stolen someone else’s identity, so she can pass off as a Filipino, making her eligible to run for public office. On Thursday, Hontiveros disclosed that the NBI has confirmed the fingerprints of the mayor matched to that of Guo Huaping.
“Identical. Similar. One and the same. ‘Mayor Alice Guo’ is Chinese national Guo Hua Ping. She is a Chinese national masquerading as Filipino citizen to facilitate crimes being committed by POGO (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations),” Hontiveros declared.
The senator said this revelation is a “big insult” to the voters of Bamban, government institutions, and to every Filipino. She noted this is the most damning evidence that could warrant the expulsion of Mayor Guo from her office.
The issue, which has been making headlines leading to countless memes of late, trended on various social media platforms including X where it generated thousands of posts. The names “Sen. Risa” and “Mayor Alice Guo” also landed in the top 10 trending topics in the Philippines.
Majority of the Filipinos commended the performance of Hontiveros and Gatchalian in the Senate for actively pursuing the investigation. They thanked both senators for making them feel that their votes were not wasted.
“Job well done, Sen. Win. All your hard work with Sen. Risa, PAOCC & supportive agencies were impressive. POGOs must go,” one netizen posted on X, referring to the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), which has been cracking down against the POGOs.
Some netizens also defended Hontiveros against accusations that she was being xenophobic towards Guo. They said the issue was the lie perpetuated by the mayor to gain power and her alleged connections to illegal online gambling operations.