A Philippine court has delivered a landmark life sentence against former Bamban Mayor Alice Guo (November 20), convicting her of human trafficking and organized crime. This verdict is being hailed as a major victory against the proliferation of online fraud scams and illegal operations across Southeast Asia. The Pasig City Regional Trial Court found Guo responsible for directing a large-scale criminal enterprise that exploited hundreds of foreign workers.
Senator claims ousted mayor Alice Guo with ties to POGOs has fled the Philippines.
The core of the case centered on Guo’s close ties to Zun Yuan Technology, a massive compound she leased land to. Though the firm was presented as an online gambling company, a 2023 police raid found over 800 foreign nationals—many believed to be from the Asia-Pacific region—who were forced into organized fraud schemes targeting victims in other jurisdictions. Prosecutors established that Guo, who was elected in 2022, leveraged her mayoral position to grant Zun Yuan local permits, effectively enabling the scam hub to operate at scale.
The conviction gained public attention due to intense scrutiny over Guo’s identity, with inquiries revealing her fingerprints matched those of a Chinese citizen named Guo Hua Ping. Alongside the life sentence and a ₱2 million fine, the court ordered the seizure of Guo's assets in Bamban linked to the crimes. This decision sends a strong signal regarding accountability for public officials linked to transnational organized crime, providing considerable implications for regional security efforts against POGO-related abuses and Chinese spy allegations that surfaced during the inquiry.
