SILENT TREATMENT: Dimissed Bamban Mayor Alice Leal Guo (real name: Guo Hua Ping) invokes her right to remain silent during a public hearing conducted by the Senate committee of women, children, family relations and gender equality on the alleged illegal activities of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator hubs in Pampanga and Tarlac on September 17, 2024. (Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau)
MANILA, Philippines — To prevent dismissed Bamban mayor Alice Guo’s material misrepresentation case from happening again, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) will publish for the first time the certificate of candidacies (COC) of aspirants as well as the certification of nomination and acceptance (Cona) of party-list groups.
Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said this move would be done so the public could scrutinize the COCs and Conas, which would be published on the poll body’s website before the end of October.
“The Commission decided, we admit, due to our experience in Tarlac, that the Comelec needs to act and be proactive,” Garcia said in an ambush interview on Thursday.
The Comelec has received 44,801 COCs from Oct. 1 to 8.
He explained that the Comelec only has a “ministerial” role in accepting COCs and Conas of political hopefuls, and only when a registered voter files a petition against an aspirant could the poll body act on it.
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“This will be the basis if the public could file a petition to cancel or deny due course the candidacy [of aspirants],” he added.
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READ: Comelec to file charges vs Alice Guo
In a resolution on Tuesday, the poll body said they would file a complaint against Guo for violating the Omnibus Election Code as she allegedly lied about her citizenship.
Only Filipino citizens are allowed to run for public office.
“She declared in her COC that she is a Filipino citizen and a resident of Bamban, Tarlac, when in truth and in fact, she is not,” the Comelec resolution read.
Guo is also facing complaints for graft, qualified human trafficking, money laundering and tax evasion, and is likewise being investigated by Congress over her alleged links to Philippine offshore gaming operators or Pogo. She is currently detained in Pasig City jail.
Guo’s counsel previously announced that the dismissed mayor intends to run for reelection amid the charges filed against her, but she retracted her reelection bid.
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READ: Alice Guo to run for mayor in 2025 polls – legal counsel
