28-6-2024 (MANILA) The match between Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo’s fingerprints and those of a Chinese woman named Guo Hua Ping has proven that she is a “fake Filipino,” exposing a concerning gap in the system that allowed her to run for public office, according to Senator Risa Hontiveros.
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) confirmed that Mayor Guo’s fingerprints matched those of Guo Hua Ping, who entered the Philippines as a teenager using a Chinese passport.
Quoting NBI director Jaime Santiago, Gatchalian emphasized the infallibility of fingerprint evidence, stating, Fingerprints are infallible, meaning they don’t make mistakes. Each person has a unique fingerprint… Even twins don’t have identical fingerprints. And this can be used in court.
The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) has recommended the cancellation of Guo’s birth certificate, which was registered late. The Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) may also file a quo warranto case against Guo, questioning the basis of her being a public official, Gatchalian noted.
“That is what’s most important because a foreigner, a fake Filipino got past us and even became mayor. If this POGO issue did not blow up, she could even have become a senator or sought a different post. This gap in our processes which allowed a foreigner to run for public office is terrifying,” he added.
Gatchalian urged Guo to divulge what she knows about the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) in Pampanga, which were raided for alleged scams, torture, and other irregularities. “She won’t go scot-free for sure. But maybe her penalty could be lowered.
Guo has insisted that she is a Filipino and has denied being a Chinese spy or having alleged links to illegal POGOs.
Gatchalian has filed a resolution seeking to investigate fake birth certificates and late birth registration. At least 308 fake birth certificates were used to apply for Philippine passports from January to September 2023, with six foreign nationals receiving Philippine passports, according to PSA data cited by Gatchalian.
Citing information from the Department of Foreign Affairs, Gatchalian noted that some foreigners posed as Filipinos “by presenting authentic and genuine PSA-issued birth certificates, along with government-issued ID.”
Meanwhile, Gatchalian’s resolution, citing 2022 PSA data, revealed that 127,919 births were registered after the 30-day period for registration, raising concerns about potential abuse of the late birth registration system.
“Syndicates may be behind the proliferation of fake birth certificates as well as the apparent abuse of the late birth registration system,” Gatchalian said in a statement, expressing hope that the inquiry would lead to the crafting of legislation or policy recommendations to address these issues.
