Dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo said she has dropped her reelection bid for the 2025 midterm elections.
“Linisin ko muna 'yung sarili ko at para maging fair din para sa mga constituents ko,” she said during a session of the Senate probe into her identity, affiliations, and links to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO).
(I will cleanse my name first, to be fair to my constituents.)
Despite having been indicted for graft, money laundering, tax evasion, and qualified human trafficking, among other charges, her attorney Stephen David pressed that Guo could still file for candidacy and announced her plans to do so through a representative.
However, the Ombudsman had previously discharged Guo and disqualified her from future service as a government official.
On Monday, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) said that it can bar candidates who have been issued a dismissal from duty by the Ombudsman.
