Former Mayor Alice Guo Barred from 2025 Elections Unless Cleared by Court

BAMBAN, TARLAC — Former Mayor Alice Guo of Bamban, Tarlac, will be ineligible to run in the 2025 midterm elections unless she secures a temporary restraining order (TRO) from the Court of Appeals, which would pause the enforcement of her dismissal by the Office of the Ombudsman, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) declared.

According to Philippines News Agency, the Ombudsman’s decision, stemming from administrative cases, is executory immediately, which bars Guo from holding any public office indefinitely unless overturned by a higher court. “Although not yet final, but it is already executory unless there is a restraining order from the Court of Appeals. If she is perpetually disqualified to hold public office, it would be implemented by the Comelec. It means she can file her certificate of candidacy but we would administratively cancel it,” Garcia explained during Wednesday’s Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum.

The dismissal on August 12 came after the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) filed charges against Guo, accusing her of involvement with Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO). Furthermore, the Comelec is pursuing a separate case against Guo for alleged material misrepresentation in her candidacy documents during the May 2022 elections, focusing on whether her personal details and eligibility were falsely represented.

Comelec representatives have already served a subpoena to Guo in Bamban, with a deadline for her to contest the accusations through a counter affidavit. Should she fail to respond within the 10-day window, the case will proceed to resolution.