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Suspended Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo has been dismissed by the Philippines Ombudsman. The dismissal was ordered by the Office of the Ombudsman, which also ordered the forfeiture of Guo’s retirement benefits and permanently banning her from holding public office.
According to Philippines news reports, anti-graft officers said Guo’s involvement in operations of raided Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) in her area bared a “willful intent on her part to violate the law or disregard established rules.”
Government lawyers, led by Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra, “may opt to pursue the ‘quo warranto’ case they had already filed against Guo.”
“The ‘quo warranto’ petition will proceed for two reasons: Mayor Alice Guo may still appeal the OMB (Ombudsman) dismissal order. The ‘quo warranto’ petition, if successful, will make Guo Hua Ping (a.k.a. Alice Guo) ineligible to run for any elective public position in the future,” Guevarra added.
In total, 12 other Bamban officials were also found guilty of conduct prejudicial to the best interest of service and were suspended for three months by the Ombudsman.
The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) supported the Ombudsman’s decision, calling it “a testament to the hard work of government agencies in the campaign against illegal POGOs.”
Guo’s case was already in progress prior to the POGO ban announced by the Philippines’ President. Investigations regarding her alleged links to POGOs started in June 2024, after the raid of a POGO hub under her area of jurisdiction.
She was later expelled from the NPC party and suspended from duty.
