MANILA: President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday pressed the need to dig deeper into the identity of Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo, who is being investigated by the Senate over allegations that she may be a Chinese asset.
In a media interview in Cagayan de Oro City, Marcos bared that Guo has been under the government’s radar as she is not known among local leaders.
‘Kilala ko lahat ng mga taga-Tarlac na politiko, walang may kilala sa kanya. Kaya nagtataka kami kung saan nanggaling ito? Bakit ganito ito? Hindi namin malaman (I know all the politicians from Tarlac, no one knows her. So, we are wondering where she came from? We don’t know),’ Marcos told reporters.
‘Kaya kailangan talagang imbestigahan (That’s why an investigation is really needed).’
Guo’s nationality is being questioned after the possibility of her involvement in the two illegal Philippine offshore gaming operations that were recently raided in her city, was floated during a Senate investigation.
Her case is also being linked to the a
lleged growing Chinese presence in the country due to the influx of Chinese nationals into the country.
Marcos said immigration authorities should now tighten their guards to ensure the safety of Filipinos.
When pressed if he sees the presence of foreign nationals with questionable backgrounds like Guo as a security threat, the President said, ‘Palagay ko. Palagay ko. Hindi natin malaman kaya kailangan talaga nating pag-aralan nang mabuti. Pero may possibility na ganyan (I think so. We are not sure so we need to look into this closely. But there’s a possibility that it is a security threat).’
Source: Philippines News Agency
