Alice Guo, a former Philippines mayor wanted in connection with crimes at an offshore gaming centre, was apprehended on Tuesday (3 September) in Indonesia. She has been on the run since 18 July.
Indonesian police arrested Guo just before midnight in Tangerang City, Jakarta.
The government-run Philippine News Agency called the arrest “a testament to the tireless efforts of law enforcement… and international cooperation.”
Said Philippines’ Bureau of Immigration commissioner Norman Tansingco: “We are very happy with this development.”
Started with POGO raid in March
Guo is the former mayor of Bamban, Tarlac province, once home of a vast Philippines Offshore Gaming Operation (POGO).
In March, following reports of illegal activity including human trafficking, law enforcement raided the facility. They freed hundreds of Filipino and foreign workers.
Some workers said they were lured with promises of high-paying, legitimate employment, then forced to participate in online scams under threat of physical abuse and even torture. One POGO worker testified he was told he could buy his freedom by working six months without pay.
Guo’s double life
Investigators allege that Guo, elected in 2022, was part-owner of the facility and funded it with money from China. They discovered she is not Filipina, but a Chinese national born Guo Hua Ping.
Government officials subpoenaed the mayor, who repeatedly failed to appear at senate committee hearings into POGO-related crimes. She then dropped out of sight.
On 18 July, she reportedly left the country by boat, using a Philippine passport that had not yet been cancelled. Authorities tracked her movements as she fled first to Malaysia, then Singapore and finally Indonesia.
Last week, Guo’s sister Shiela and business associate Cassandra Li Ong were apprehended in Indonesia and returned to the Philippines. Ong is suspected of facilitating criminal activity at a POGO in Porac, Pampanga.
That facility was raided in June. Again, workers claimed to have been trafficked and forced to take part in criminal activity under threat of torture.
End of an industry in Philippines
Public outcry following the raids prompted Philippines president Ferdinand Marcos Jr to ban the entire POGO industry.
In his 22 July state of the nation address, Marcos ordered all POGOs to wind down operations by the end of the year. “The grave abuse and great disrespect to our system of laws must stop,” he said. “We must stop this attempt to cause desecration and disrespect to our country.”
Guo will be deported back to the Philippines. She faces charges of money laundering, human trafficking and tax evasion as well as criminal misrepresentation.
