Alice Guo, the Chinese-born mayor of a small town in the Philippines, made headlines a few months ago after she was arrested. Now, a Philippine court has sentenced her to life in prison for running a large-scale fraud ring. She was sentenced on Thursday (November 20) after being found guilty of human trafficking. Seven others have been sentenced to life in prison in the same case.
The UK-based Independent reported that Alice Guo was elected mayor of Bambang, an agricultural town north of Manila, the Philippine capital. Although she claims to be a Filipino citizen, an investigation revealed that she is actually a Chinese citizen, Guo Hua Ping. However, Guo has denied all the charges against her and has always claimed that she is Filipino by birth.
The case against Guo has caused a stir across the Philippines. Last year, law enforcement agencies conducted a raid on a large-scale fraud ring called Baofu Compound in Bambang. The compound had secret tunnels, multiple buildings, luxurious villas, and even a large swimming pool. The operation began after a Vietnamese worker escaped and gave information to the police. The center was used to conduct online fraud targeting foreigners. The victims were forced and detained under the threat of torture to join the fraud.
During the operation, the police rescued about 800 foreign workers from the fraud center. The rescued workers included citizens of Bangladesh, Vietnam, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Rwanda and several other countries. The recovered documents listed Alice Guo as the president of the company operating the compound.
Guo fled the country in 2024. He was later arrested in Indonesia and deported to the Philippines. The incident opened the way for a new debate and investigation into offshore gaming operations (POGO) in the Philippines.
A spokesman for the Philippine Anti-Organized Crime Commission said that four people, including Guo, were convicted of recruiting workers for the compound through human trafficking. The commission said in a statement that “this long-awaited verdict is not only a legal but also a moral victory. It will bring justice to the victims.”
Southeast Asian countries have recently expressed concern about the growth of online fraud centers. Last month, ASEAN leaders pledged not to allow their territories to become havens for criminal gangs.
Meanwhile, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. recently signed a law banning all offshore gaming operators in the country.
