Elmer Garcia, who notarized the counter-affidavit of the dismissed Mayor Alice Guo of Bamban, Tarlac, came under scrutiny from senators during a Senate subcommittee hearing on Tuesday.
Senators are skeptical of Atty. Galicia's satement, questioning whether Guo actually appeared before him to have her documents notarized.
Galicia recounted that on the evening of August 14, Guo went to his office in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, to have her counter-affidavit notarized. He claimed that a person named 'Allan,' a colleague from a religion he preferred not to name, facilitated the process for Guo.
"Sabi po [ni Alan] ay may magpapanotaryo, si mayor," Galicia said.
Galicia mentioned that throughout the notarization process, Guo remained inside her vehicle.
He claimed that Guo presented a driver's license and provided a photocopy of it along with the notarized document. However, he was unable to let Guo sign in the ledger.
Galicia could not explain why, among the many lawyers in Bulacan, he was chosen to notarize the said document.
The discussed date of August 14 is nearly a month after Guo and her cohorts reportedly left the country through a backdoor channel, according to various government agency reports.
Both Senator Risa Hontiveros and Senator Joel Villanueva believe that Galicia, as a notary public, committed numerous violations.
Even during his initial remarks, many senators were already unconvinced when Galicia mentioned that he does not watch the news or listen to the radio, and therefore had no any information about Alice Guo.
