Even with the repatriation of Alice Guo to the Philippines, her ongoing case is far from over. It is possibly just the tip of the iceberg. So far, it has highlighted prevailing weaknesses in the system and how these were exploited to commit illegal activities. While late registration of births is allowed, this was used to introduce a foreigner to pass as a native Filipino; the same person later successfully filed her candidacy for the position of municipal mayor and went on to win the post. The Local Civil Registry Office (for the late registration of live birth) and the Commission on Elections (for the filing of candidacy) were fooled. As to her ties with an illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator, she also had the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation fooled. She also escaped the net of the Bureau of Immigration when she was able to leave the country with a pending warrant for her arrest. Of course, she also fooled the voters.
With the country ranked 115th (from least to most corrupt) out of 180 countries in the Corruption Perceptions Index in 2023, the open secret is that a lot of money changed hands for all these to have happened.Strong institutions, morally upright public servants, and an informed and vigilant electorate are needed to prevent a similar fiasco in the future.
But have we caught the big fish yet? Probably not. So, the drama continues.
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