BAMBAN, TARLAC - The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has served a subpoena to suspended Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo as part of a material misrepresentation case stemming from her candidacy in the May 2022 elections.
According to Philippines News Agency, the subpoena was received by Alice Manaloto, a secretary at the Bamban Municipal Hall, on behalf of Mayor Guo. The Comelec Law Department, accompanied by members of the Philippine National Police (PNP), initially attempted to deliver the subpoena to Guo’s address listed in her Certificate of Candidacy in Barangay Virgen delos Remedios. "She was not there. A caretaker of unknown identity received the subpoena to satisfy the process of informing her of the preliminary investigation," Duque explained.
Mayor Guo is now required to submit her counter affidavit within 10 days from Wednesday. Should she fail to respond within this timeframe, the Comelec stated that the case will proceed to resolution based on the evidence already on record. The subpoena specifically warns, "You are hereby warned that failure on your part to comply with the subpoena shall be considered as waiver of your right to present your defense, and the case shall be considered submitted for resolution based on the evidence on record."
This legal action follows a decision by the Comelec en banc to file a complaint against Guo based on the findings of a fact-finding committee, which concluded there were "sufficient factual bases" to charge her with material misrepresentation in her candidacy filings.