Supporters of ex-Bamban, Philippines mayor Alice Guo have filed a petition on her behalf, claiming she was unfairly removed from office. Guo, linked to crimes allegedly committed at an offshore gaming operation in the town, reportedly fled the country in July.
The Guo camp filed a motion to dismiss the July court action that declared her election null and void. The motion was filed on 30 August and reported by MSN on Tuesday (3 September). The Philippines Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) said Guo was “not a Filipino citizen but a Chinese national” when she ran for and won public office in 2022.
Her true identity came to light after the March raid of a Philippines Offshore Gaming Operation (POGO) in Bamban. Investigators then discovered Guo was born Guo Hua Ping, of China, and may have funded the POGO through a Chinese criminal syndicate.
“No two individuals, not even identical twins, have the same fingerprints,” the OSG said in its petition. “Guo Hua Ping is not a Filipino citizen by birth or naturalisation. Thus, (she) is illegally holding her position and must be ousted therefrom.”
It added that Guo’s alleged criminal conduct was sufficient grounds for her suspension and ultimate removal.
Immigration records show Guo arrived in the Philippines in 1999, as a nine-year-old. Other accounts say she did not enter the country until she was a teenager.
Love scams, forced labour
POGOs were first licensed in 2016 to offer offshore gambling services.
But some specialised in online love and crypto scams. Many were staffed by human-trafficking victims who were forced to work under threat of torture. Illicit POGOs were also considered highly vulnerable to money laundering.
On 22 July, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr banned the industry outright. In a state of the nation address he said it had become a centre of “financial scamming, money laundering, prostitution, human trafficking, kidnapping, brutal torture, even murder”.
“The grave abuse and disrespect to our system of laws must stop,” he said.
Guo purportedly was part owner of the Bamban POGO. Following the raid, she was a no-show at hearings on the matter and claimed she was being unfairly harassed. Then she dropped out of sight, reportedly using her Philippine passport to flee the country.
Charges mount, search continues
Guo faces charges of tax evasion, money laundering human trafficking.
The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) said she and 35 co-defendants were “involved in a complex scheme of money laundering linked to the crimes of estafa (fraud), qualified trafficking in persons and violations of the Securities Regulation Code”.
They allegedly laundered more than ₱100m (£1.350m/€1.6m/$1.769m) in ill-gotten proceeds.
Guo has since been tracked to Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. In a 21 August post on X, Marcos vowed to track down the fugitive ex-mayor and hold her cronies accountable.
“The departure of Alice Guo has laid bare the corruption that undermines our justice system and erodes public trust,” he said. “Let me be clear: heads will roll.”
