Alice Guo’s graft case arraignment in Valenzuela City court has been rescheduled for the second time.
A lawyer from Regional Trial Court Branch 282, who stated based on anonymity, informed that the arraignment has been rescheduled for October 28 at 1:30 p.m.
The lawyer stated that Judge Elena Amigo-Amano postponed the arraignment after the court received a motion from the Ombudsman’s Office last Friday to amend the information.
Amigo-Amano initially allowed Guo to post a bail amount of P540,000; however, this amount was tripled after the prosecution filed a motion naming her as a high-profile defendant.
When the case of the two counts of graft was filed in Capas, Tarlac, the judge allowed the prosecution time to respond to Guo’s lawyers’ motion to reject the information.
Guo allegedly utilized her position as mayor of Bamban, Tarlac, to approve permits for an illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub in her town.
The Supreme Court directed that the case be transferred from Capas to Valenzuela.
Guo, who is being held at the Pasig City Jail, was accused of qualified trafficking, a non-bailable offense, in connection with the Bamban POGO hub.
On Monday, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. urged authorities to investigate suspicions that Guo is a Chinese spy.
In a video documentary, She Zhijiang, who is incarcerated in Thailand and fighting repatriation to China, said he and Guo were Chinese agents.
Guo denied being a spy at last week’s Senate session.
“Whether or not she is a spy is something yet to be determined with finality by the proper authorities,” Teodoro informed the crowd. “What is clear is that she is not a Filipino. Secondly, she falsified documents to pretend she was a Filipino, and thirdly, she was an active co-conspirator to a massive illegal and criminal enterprise where all the illegal activities started.”
Teodoro further stated that authorities must be aware that the POGO hub is located near Camp O’Donell, a crucial military base in Capas.
“Curiously, a 32-building complex [was] operating within two minutes flying time away from the Tradoc (training and doctrine command) and the light armor division [headquarters],” Teodoro stated during an ambush interview at Camp Aguinaldo.
“All of the authorities should have been aware at the time, particularly the local authorities,” he added.
Camp O’Donell is a common location for the yearly Balikatan joint exercise between the Philippine and US military forces, he claimed.