Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Boying Remulla hailed the very timely and decisive move of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in revoking the passport of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo for violation of Republic Act No. 11983 or the “New Philippine Passport Act”.
At the same time, the Secretary vowed that the National Prosecution Service (NPS) will seize this opportunity to go “all-out” in prosecuting Guo and her co-respondents in the qualified human trafficking case lodged against them before the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Guo’s passport cancellation was enforced on 30 September 2024 but was only announced yesterday, 04 October by the DFA which was in direct response to a 24 August 2024 National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) report that Alice Guo’s biometrics perfectly matched those of a certain Guo Hua Ping.
The DFA emphasized that a passport may be cancelled if it was acquired by fraud, tampered with/upon or issued erroneously as the Law provides which the case at bar precisely falls in.
“DFA’s decisive call to revoke the passport of Guo undoubtedly opened the doors to justice, this marks the beginning of a relentless pursuit to ensure accountability and uphold the rule of law,” Secretary Remulla underscored.
“Rest assured, your efforts won’t be in vain, we will prosecute this case to the fullest until justice is served,” Sec. Remulla told the DFA.
The DOJ also recognizes that Guo is a “flight risk” after being able to travel to Singapore and Malaysia earlier this year until she was held in Indonesia last July, hence, her passport revocation comes at a very perfect time.
To note, Guo is facing charges of human trafficking, misrepresentation and money laundering.