THE Bureau of Immigration yesterday welcomed the decision of the Manila regional trial court ousting Alice Leal Guo as mayor of Bamban, Tarlac, for being “undoubtedly a Chinese national,” adding her case highlights the danger of foreign infiltration and threat to national security.
Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said the court ruling is a significant development in exposing attempts to circumvent immigration and election laws.
Viado said the ruling upheld the findings of immigration records and biometrics identifying her as Guo Hua Ping, a Chinese citizen who entered the country in 1999.
“This is a major win for the national government. This case reveals how a foreign national was able to penetrate public office using false documents and a fabricated identity,” he said, adding that it further bolsters the BI’s deportation proceedings against Guo.
“This court decision further cements our legal basis and supports the government’s ongoing efforts to protect our borders and institutions,” he added.
In its ruling, the Manila RTC granted the quo warranto petition filed by the Office of the Solicitor General, ruling that Guo was never qualified to run for mayor of Bamban, Tarlac, because she is a Chinese citizen.
It gave weight to the absence of civil registry records for her alleged Filipino parents, and fingerprint analysis by the National Bureau of Investigation confirming that Guo is indeed Guo Hua Ping, a Chinese citizen who arrived in the Philippines in 1999 under a Special Investor Resident Visa.
The BI chief further said the ruling reinforces the BI’s duty to “detect, deter, and remove foreign nationals who misrepresent themselves to gain access to positions of power.”
“This case highlights the dangers of foreign infiltration and how it can threaten national security from within,” said Viado.
Guo is facing a slew of charges, including qualified human trafficking, money laundering, and graft, all tied to her links with a transnational criminal network operating scam hubs in Bamban.
