MANILA, Philippines – Senator Risa Hontiveros responded on Friday to suspended Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo’s recent remarks accusing senators and government officials of having a “seeming fixation” on her.

In a statement, the senator chided Guo for venting through social media instead of attending the Senate hearings related to her case.

“Mayor Alice Guo o Guo Hua Ping, mas marami pa kayong post sa Facebook kaysa sa attendance sa Senate hearing. Attendance before the Senate hearings is adherence to the rule of law,” Hontiveros said.

“So sadly for you, hindi katumbas ng attendance mo sa Senado ang maya’t-maya mong pagso-social media,” she stressed.

Due to Guo’s absence from two Senate sessions, the body moved to have the suspended Mayor of Bamban, Tarlac arrested so she could appear at their investigation.

Guo claimed, however, that the “severe exhaustion and trauma” she had endured from the preceding hearings and the cases brought against her prevented her from attending the previous hearings.

“Senators fixated on her” – Guo

Prior to Hontiveros’s statement, Guo, who remains in hiding amid a Senate arrest order, wrote a lengthy statement on Facebook on Thursday night.

“I am deeply concerned about and keep questioning why Senators Win Gatchalian and Risa Hontiveros and other offices seem fixated on me,” Guo said.

“If they have evidence against me, I am ready to face them in a fair trial and at a proper forum. Respectfully, I do not wish to be used by anyone to boost their political ambitions.”

Guo also brought up Sens. Sherwin Gatchalian and Risa Hontiveros, requesting that they concentrate on problems like the scarcity of food and access to healthcare rather than “threatening [her] with arrest.”

“I appeal to them to focus their attention on these problems instead of continuously threatening me with arrest and accusing me of being complicit in various Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGO)-related crimes, which are untrue and unfounded,” the suspended mayor added.

Guo denies death threats against Gatchalian, having Chinese passport, and claims of escape from PH

Guo also denied any involvement in the death threats received by Senator Gatchalian.

“I assure the public and Sen. Win Gatchalian that I do not pose any threat to him or to anyone,” Guo said.

“I have no capacity, much less intent, to cause any harm against anyone,” she stressed.

On July 4, Senator Gatchalian wrote to Pasay City Police Sub-station Commander Police Major Paul Benjamin Mandane to denounce an internet video featuring “explicit threats” against his personal safety and well-being.

Gatchalian believes the threat is a “consequence” of his involvement in the Senate investigation into the raided POGO hub in Bamban, Tarlac, which is linked to the suspended mayor.

It was said in the video that Mayor Guo paid P5 million to “silence” Gatchalian. Furthermore, another P5 million was offered to do the same to Senator Risa Hontiveros to halt the probe into the busted POGO hub in Bamban.

“The creation and online dissemination of this video has caused me substantial concern for my security, as well as the safety of those around me, particularly my family and staff,” Gatchalian said in his letter to Mandane.

“In light of these serious threats, I formally request that the Pasay City Police initiate a police report on this matter and conduct a thorough investigation. I urge you to take swift action to ensure the safety of myself and those associated with me,” he added.

The suspended mayor also responded to Senator Gatchalian’s allegation that her Chinese passport, valid until 2011, is still active.

“If anyone can disregard my right to privacy by prying into my personal records, they will know whether I have left the Philippines without simply asking the BID or the DFA, as I do not hold a Chinese passport,” Guo said.

Citing immigration records, Senator Gatchalian said Guo used both Chinese and Philippine passports from 2008 to 2011.

“I believe that she has a Filipino passport and she also has a Chinese passport. Maybe, just maybe, she used her Chinese passport to leave,” the senator said.

📷 Senator Risa Hontiveros FB, Mayor Alice Guo FB