Senate issues arrest warrants for Bamban mayor and seven others

A Senate committee has issued arrest warrants for suspended Bamban Mayor Alice Guo and seven others after they skipped hearings regarding a raided POGO hub in her town.

The order includes Mayor Guo, her family members Sheila Guo, Wesley Leal Guo, Jian Zhong Guo, Seimen Guo, her suspected mother Wen Yi Lin, her accountant Nancy Gamo, and alleged authorized representative Dennis Cunanan.

Senate President Chiz Escudero and Senator Risa Hontiveros signed the arrest order on July 11, directing the Senate Sergeant-At-Arms to detain the individuals within 24 hours for refusing to appear at committee hearings on June 26 and July 10.

Hontiveros emphasized that the issuance of the arrest order is not merely procedural but upholds the Senate's mandate to safeguard the well-being of Filipinos, as Mayor Guo’s non-attendance was delaying and obstructing the probe into human trafficking, illegal detention, and physical abuse in a POGO facility.

Copies of the official arrest orders were shared with the media by Sen. Hontiveros' office on Saturday, July 13, after being signed late Friday afternoon.

Hontiveros urged Guo and others to show up for hearings, stating that hiding cannot erase the truth.