MANILA, Philippines – Suspended Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo has been hiding from authorities pending her arrest but her lawyer said she will try her best to cooperate with the law and study her options.
“Pipilitin niya, pipilitin niya,” her legal counsel Stephen David said of Guo with whom he was able to speak to on Sunday (July 14). He talked about his client in an interview on Teleradyo Serbisyo on Monday (July 15).
Still undecided but the mayor will give it a good thought, the lawyer said, “I-co-contemplate niya daw ‘yun. I-co-consider niya ‘yun ‘yung mga options na ‘yan.”
According to David, he told Guo that he can seek to arrange for a “dignifying” place in the Senate to hold the mayor in custody as a respect to her still being an elected public official.
“‘Yun nga ang sinabi ko, kung nasa Senate ka, well protektado ka diyan sa sacred hall ng Senate. Walang pwedeng gumalaw sa kanya diyan,” he said.
Furthermore, David said he told Guo that she couldn’t go on hiding forever and that the Senate warrant was only to assure her appearance in the next hearings that would be in aid of legislation.
“Kahapon kausap ko more than one hour kaming naguusap. Kasi ang advice natin sa kanya, kasi hindi ka naman pwede magtago habambuhay diba saka ito remember senate warrant of arrest ito hindi naman ito para parusahan ka or what,” he said.
“Ito kaya ka sinusubpoena para alang magestify ka para maging resource person ka sa Senate dahil meron silang mga gustong itanong sa iyo na ikaw ang nakakaalam. Pagka sinabi mo ‘yun okay na eventually pwedeng i-lift na yung arrest order niya,” he said.
Traumatized
According to David, his client has been dealing with a lot of trauma because of threats from people who give her scenarios of what’s likely to happen when she appears in the senate hearing.
Quoting Guo, David said, “Syempre Tito (Attorney) tignan mo naman ‘yung nangyayari sa akin yung mga recent development lalo lang ako nagugulo, lalo lang ako na-tau-trauma.”
Accordingly, the mayor is pre-occupied with scenarios being fed to her.
“Andami kasing nananakot sa kanya, ‘sige ‘pag umattend ka, nakulong ka, andami,” David said quoting Guo’s reports to him.
Guo ‘not an effective witness’
While agreeing that Guo needs to attend the hearing, David said he sees a conflict if Guo sits as a resource person because the mayor is also facing a number of cases before the Department of Justice and the Ombudsman and questions to her might make her invoke her right against self-incrimination.
“Constitutional guarantee ‘to eh na hindi pwedeng ipilit kahit na sinong senator o kahit na sinong official ng gobyerno kung ayaw mo sumagot kasi nga kung pipilipitin siyang sumagot diyan ma-e-erode lang ‘yung trust and confidence ng tao sa sino mang tao na magpipilit sa isang tao na i-violate ‘yung kanyang constitutional right,” he said.
“Halimbawa pipilitin mo siya sasabihin niya, I invoke my right against self-incrimination, sino ngayon ang pipilit sa kanya o eh di detrimental sa iamge ng senate yon na sila mismong lawmakers ang mag-co-compel sa isang witness na i-violate ‘yung kanyang constitutional guarantee,” he said.
Where is Mayor Guo?
The Senate has already left copies of the arrest warrant for Guo on her various recorded residential addresses but still failed to find her and her siblings.
The question still remains, where is Mayor Guo?
David said he was able to talk to his client electronically but did not give any detail as to the mayor’s whereabouts. He however said he believes the mayor is still in the country.
“Nakakapag-usap kami via zoom. Ako personally naniniwala ako nasa Pilipinas siya kasi nga, unang-una ang higpit ng lookout sa immigration ang hirap naman insultuhin natin yung immigration sabihin natin na nalusutan sila hindi ganon,” he said.
“Wala naman problema kung sumurrender siya sa senate kasi nga hindi naman siya ikukulong ng pangmatagalan dun ito lang pag magsalita ka mag testify ka or harapin mo sila. After that pwede ka nilang i-lift nila ‘yung ano mo anytime. Pwede nila i-lift ‘yan kung gusto nila eh. Hindi naman para parusahan ka eh,” he said.
