Manila, Philippines – June 30, 2025 — The Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 34 has declared the election of Bamban Mayor Alice Guo null and void, citing her lack of legal basis to hold public office in the Philippines.
In a decision issued by Judge Liwliwa S. Hidalgo on June 27, 2025, the court ruled in favor of the quo warranto petition filed by the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) challenging Guo’s eligibility to serve as mayor.
The court found that Guo is not a Filipino citizen, pointing to findings from a Senate inquiry led by Senator Risa Hontiveros. During the inquiry, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) revealed that Guo Hua Ping and Alice Guo shared identical fingerprints — raising serious questions about her identity. Guo’s lawyer denied any relationship between the two identities.
Further investigation revealed that Guo’s parents were both Chinese nationals who arrived in the Philippines from Fujian, China on July 12, 1999. The court emphasized that there was no proof they underwent the proper legal process to acquire Filipino citizenship, thereby disqualifying Alice Guo from claiming Filipino nationality herself.
The court dismissed Guo’s Philippine passport and birth certificate as insufficient proof of citizenship and declared that her tenure as mayor was “void ab initio” — invalid from the very beginning.
The ruling clarified that her proclamation and oath of office held no legal effect, as she was already disqualified from running for public office due to her ineligibility.
It will be recalled that in August 2024, the Office of the Ombudsman also ordered Guo’s dismissal from office in connection with alleged ties to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO).
