Ex-Bamban Mayor Alice Guo convicted for qualified trafficking

The crime is in relation to the activities inside the offshore gaming hub established in her town.

Last Thursday, November 20, the Pasig Regional Trial Court handed down its decision regarding the case involving former Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Leal Guo (a.k.a Guo Hua Ping).

She was found “guilty beyond reasonable doubt” in her Qualified Trafficking in Person case, which gave her a sentence of reclusion perpetua.

In its decision, the court also convicted Jaimielyn Santos Cruz, Rachelle Malonzo Carreon, and Walter Wong Rong for organizing trafficking activities inside the Baofu compound.

It further found Wang Weili, Wuli Dong, Nong Ding Chang, and Lang Xu Po guilty of acts of trafficking committed against the victims.

All convicted individuals were krdeted to pay a PHP2 million fine per case, in addition to monetary reparations owed to their victim-complainants.

The RTC’s ruling likewise ordered that the controversial Baofu compound, where the Philippine offshore gaming operations (POGO) hub operated, be forfeited in favor of the government.

The 7.9-hectare compound containing 36 buildings is valued at ₱3.9 billion, the very site where trafficking, illegal gaming, and cyber fraud were carried out.

The trafficking case, where Guo received conviction, is one of the many cases filed against her in multiple courts.

In June 2025, the Manila RTC Branch 34 concluded that Guo—legally identified as Guo Hua Ping, a Chinese national—illicitly assumed the identity of a Filipino to run for Mayor of Bamban. The court ruled that her proclamation was void from the beginning and found her guilty of usurpation of public office.

This was followed by the Tarlac City RTC Branch 111’s decision last September, which voided her fraudulent Certificate of Live Birth, a decision reaffirmed on October 23 after her motion for reconsideration was denied.

In parallel, the government also continues to pursue ongoing civil forfeiture proceedings involving additional assets linked to Alice Guo, such as 27 bank accounts holding PHP75.8 million and USD62,340, 18 motor vehicles valued at PHP76.4 million, and 14 real properties located in Tarlac, Bulacan, and Las Piñas valued at PHP465 million.

PAOCC’S STATEMENT

Following the promulgation, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) said that it welcomes with firm resolve the court’s decision.

“This eagerly awaited ruling is not only a legal victory but also a moral one. It delivers justice to victims, reaffirms the government’s united stance against organized crime, and marks a defining moment in the country’s fight against large-scale trafficking and online scam syndicates,” the commission said.

According to PAOCC Executive Director Undersecretary Benjamin Acorda Jr., “The Alice Guo case is a story of a nation that refused to be deceived, of institutions that stood firm, and of victims whose voices now echo through every courtroom decision. It is proof that no matter how elaborates the scheme, how powerful the mastermind, or how long the deception, justice will find its way.“

He continued, “And when it does, it does more than punish—it restores. No empire built on fraud and exploitation can endure when a nation stands united in truth. The government has prevailed once more, not for itself, but for every victim, every community, and every Filipino who deserves a country safeguarded from those who seek to abuse it. The government will always defend its people. And justice, once awakened, will never be denied.”

SEN. HONTIVEROS REACTS

Meanwhile, Senator Risa Hontiveros, who led the Senate investigating on the POGO operations and the ensuing revelations about the real persona of Guo, also welcomed the news.

She wrote, “Today, justice has been served. The conviction of Alice Guo aka Guo Hua Ping is a victory against corruption, human trafficking, cybercrime, and many other transnational crimes.”

The senator also emphasized: “Ngayon, hindi na sila makakaulit.”

She also hailed the “unprecedented results” that the Senate investigation delivered, such as the presidential executive order banning POGOs, provided evidence towards a guilty verdict, sending a criminal to prison for life, and contributed in the passage of the Anti-POGO Law of 2025.

“I am proud to consider it one of the most consequential Senate inquiries of my life’s work so far. Maraming salamat sa mga biktima, witnesses, at whistleblowers na naglakas loob tumestigo sa Senado,” she added.

Hontiveros also expressed her gratitude to Department of Justice’s prosecutors and other law enforcers that focused on this case.

“To the Filipino public, maraming salamat sa inyong maiging pagsubaybay at pagbabantay. Bilang Chairperson ng Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality na nanguna sa imbestigasyon, this makes me feel hopeful about the work we do,” furthered the lady senator.

“But it is far from over. We will continue to demand accountability from every government agency that failed in their duties, and we will continue to investigate the full extent of Chinese intelligence operations in our country,” Sen. Hontiveros continued.

She also warned those that “enabled” Alice Guo’s  criminal empire: “The Philippines is not a playground for exploitation, infiltration, and espionage.”

It was in March 2024 when a raid uncovered the scale of the POGO operations in Bamban, with the agricultural town hosting a sprawling 36-building scam hub covering almost 10 hectares.

Authorities apprehended hundreds of foreign nationals involved in scams. At the same time, investigators uncovered evidence of human trafficking, “pig-butchering” scam schemes, with the POGO being used as a front for illegal operations, cryptocurrency fraud, money laundering, and systematic exploitation.

These revelations emerged through the coordinated efforts of the government, which eventually led to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s signing of Executive Order No. 74, which banned all POGO and online gaming operations in the country.

Meanwhile, the PAOCC noted that it still continues to pursue all those connected to this network. The Commission is overseeing 55 related cases, with 33 now in active trial, eight under preliminary investigation at the DOJ, 10 in case development, and five already resolved.

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