SEN. Sherwin Gatchalian yesterday said a DNA test on Bamban Mayor Alice Guo and her suspected biological mother, Lin Wen Yi, will most likely not happen since Lin has left the country with Angelito Guo, the mayor’s father.
In an interview with radio dzBB, Gatchalian said a DNA test on Guo and Lin is the best answer to questions if Lin is the real biological mother of the mayor.
Last Friday, Gatchalian urged Guo to take a DNA test with Lin after residents of Valenzuela City where the Guo family rented a warehouse said Guo had repeatedly introduced Lin as her mother.
Government records show that Lin is one of the incorporators of at least seven of Guo’s businesses.
In yesterday’s radio interview, Gatchalian said he checked with the Bureau of Immigration and was informed that Lin had flown out of the country with Guo’s father. He did not provide additional details.
“Chances of having a DNA test is slim because according to the Bureau of Immigration, Lin Wen Yi and Jian Zhong Guo have already left the Philippines so we will not have the chance to see them here,” Gatchalian said.
He said since Lin and Jian are Chinese citizens, they can easily go back to China and never return again, at least while the issue of Guo is still hogging the headlines.
He said it is important to establish Guo’s real citizenship since the information listed on her birth certificate is questionable.
He said birth certificates are used to obtain other government documents such as passports, which can be used to file a certificate of candidacy.
In the case of Guo, Gatchalian said she can seek other elective posts like provincial governor, district representative, or even higher positions.
He said the system being used in acquiring birth certificates should be reviewed.
“I will push for reforms on the system of birth certificates because it is being abused. The objective to streamline the process is good but it is being abused by foreigners,” he added.
‘POGO-POLITICS?’
Gatchalian said there is a big possibility that criminal syndicates operating scam hubs under the cover of the POGO industry could have helped in the mayoralty run of Guo in the 2022 elections.
“Why did they choose Bamban to put up their business? This is not a small business because P6.1 billion was spent to put up the POGO hub in Bamban. Who opened the door for them? Who are the enablers? Who gave them the direction to enter that town? There are people who gave them the idea,” he said.
“I’m sure that criminal syndicates are behind the construction of that POGO hub. They are professionals who know exactly what they will do. Why pick Bamban? Why not put it somewhere else? We all know that Bamban is an agricultural area, not an urban one,” he added.
Gatchalian said there was a big possibility that POGO money could have been used to fund Guo’s candidacy.
“There is this possibility that POGO money is circulating to have POGO politics. That is a very big possibility,” he said, adding criminals involved in money laundering and other scamming activities have put up hubs outside of Macau, China since authorities there have been conducting relentless operations against them.
He said these syndicates have moved their areas of operations to Cambodia, Myanmar, and the Philippines, among other Southeast Asian countries.
“In my analysis, this POGO hub in Bamban is only one of the many POGO hubs behind scamming activities and big-time money laundering. They will establish allies to protect their big investments. There is also information that the POGO hub in Bamban has already established connections with law enforcement officials,” he said.
Gatchalian said the government should heed his and some senators’ proposal to totally ban the entry of the POGO industry in the country.
