Philippine authorities have sentenced a former mayor and three co-defendants to life imprisonment for human trafficking, stemming from a vast online scamming operation in a case that has also sparked questions about the official’s identity and alleged foreign ties.
Alice Guo, the former mayor of Bamban, a town north of Manila, received the life sentence along with three other individuals. The court also ordered them to pay a fine of 2 million Philippine pesos, approximately $34,000 USD.
The conviction relates to their involvement in managing a massive cybercrime center uncovered in Bamban. This center was described by authorities as one of the country’s largest.
During a raid, approximately 800 Filipinos and foreign nationals were rescued from the facility. Many victims testified they were forced to conduct online fraud schemes known as “Pig Butchering.”
Guo, 35, was elected mayor in 2022, initially perceived as a compassionate and accessible leader. However, Bamban came under national scrutiny in 2024 after authorities exposed the sprawling scam center.
The facility, comprising 36 buildings across approximately 20 acres, operated under the guise of a Philippine Online Gaming Operation (POGO). These businesses typically serve customers in mainland China, where gambling is illegal.
Guo initially denied any knowledge of the complex. However, a Senate investigation questioned how she could be unaware of a facility of that size located near her office.
Further inquiries revealed the center was built on land Guo had previously owned. The investigation also uncovered inconsistencies in her personal history, indicating she was not born in the Philippines as she claimed.
Reports suggested she immigrated from China with her family as a teenager. Fingerprint analysis reportedly matched her to a Chinese woman named Guo Hua Ping.
Following these revelations, Guo was removed from her position. She disappeared in July 2024, triggering an international manhunt across four countries.
She was arrested in Indonesia in September 2024 and subsequently deported to the Philippines. Her Philippine passport was also canceled.
Guo faces five other pending cases, including charges of money laundering. She has maintained her innocence, but it remains unclear if she will appeal the court’s recent decision.
The high-profile case emerged amid escalating tensions between the Philippines and China regarding territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Guo has been accused of being a Chinese spy, though the Chinese government has not issued any public statements concerning the allegations.