IN THE Philippines today, it is more difficult to apply as a private security guard than a mayor as far as documentary requirements and qualifications are concerned.
Under RA 5487 also known as “The Private Security Agency Law,” applicants for the job of a private security guard must be a Filipino citizen, at least 18 years old but not more than 50 years old, at least 162 centimeters in height, at least 120 lbs., at least a high school graduate, must be physically and mentally fit and must have undergone pre-licensing training course/basic security guard course.
Compare these to the qualifications of a mayor as stipulated in the Local Government Code of 1991. Those aspiring to run for public office as municipal mayors must be a Filipino citizen, at least 21 years old on election day, a registered voter in the municipality where he/she intends to be elected, a resident of the municipality where he/she intends to be elected for at least 1 year before election day, and able to read and write in Filipino or any other local language or dialect.
With qualifications as basic as those contained in the Local Government Code of 1991, it is no wonder that people or probably, organizations behind people like embattled Bamban Mayor Alice Guo can easily circumnavigate existing laws and procedures. Who knows what is in their ultimate agenda once elected into public office?
In the ongoing hearing before the Senate panel on women headed by Senator Risa Hontiveros, serious allegations against Guo were raised. The issues include her possible links to the two POGO firms in Bamban, the Zun Yuan Technology Inc. and the Hongsheng Gaming Technology Inc.; and her questionable personal life particularly her citizenship, her birth certificate, and her school records.
While late registration of birth is common in the Philippines, Guo’s case is far from being ordinary. In her certificate of candidacy during the 2022 elections, the Bamban chief executive claims she was born on July 12, 1986. However, there are no hospital records of her birth and it took her family 17 years before her birth certificate was registered. When grilled further by Sen. Hontiveros, she could not even provide the information regarding her place of birth. In the same certificate of candidacy, she claims that she has lived in the country all her life. But then again, the 38-year-old Guo also admits that she has been living in Bamban for 18 years only.
Although her academic records are immaterial to her position, Guo could have laid to rest all the suspicions surrounding her identity had she presented valid school documents or even just the basic information where she attended elementary and high school. After all, no public or private school in the country accepts a student without a clear copy of the PSA birth certificate or at least a certificate of live birth issued by the local civil registry office.
She even thought she could outmaneuver the Senate committee by claiming she was home schooled. But when pressed to divulge the DepEd accredited provider of the home schooling program she availed of, she could not give any detail and could only mention a certain “Teacher Rubilyn” as the person who tutored her, presumably from preschool to high school.
Much has been said about the possible direct involvement of other agencies and key local officials in this grand scheme of lies, conspiracy and inefficiency to ensure that someone like Guo can, in Sen Hontivero’s cautionary words, “pretend to be locals and then do various tasks – some of which are not desirable.” Even worse, Guo’s cautionary tale is reflective of China’s slow invasion of the country, wherein Chinese “assets” are trained to infiltrate and influence the Philippine government.
Guo’s curious case is not to be taken lightly; it is not just another report of misrepresentation or falsification by an elected public official. Let us not disregard the call for vigilance against China’s soft invasion and expansionist strategy. There is definitely more to the Guo story than meets the eye.
