Alice Guo found guilty of qualified human trafficking over Tarlac POGO

MANILA, November 21 ------ The Pasig Regional Trial Court has found ousted Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo guilty of qualified human trafficking over her ties to a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operation (POGO) hub in the town. The court sentenced Guo and her 7 co-accused to life imprisonment and fined them P2 million on top of monetary reparations for victims. The court also ordered the forfeiture of the Baofu Compound, the site of the Chinese-operated online gambling center where hundreds of people were forced to run scams or risk torture.

The sprawling complex, which included office buildings, luxury villas and a large swimming pool, was raided in March 2024 after a Vietnamese worker escaped and called police. More than 700 Filipinos, Chinese, Vietnamese, Malaysians, Taiwanese, Indonesians and Rwandans were found on site, along with documents allegedly showing that Guo was president of a company that owned the compound.

A spokesman for the Philippine Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) told reporters in a group chat that Guo and three others had been convicted of "organizing trafficking" inside the compound. Four more were found guilty of "acts of trafficking", the spokesman said. Deputy State Prosecutor Olivia Torrevillas confirmed that eight of the 16 accused were acquitted, but emphasized that what’s more important is that the key players behind the trafficking operations were held accountable. “Finally, after more than one year, napakabilis po ng korte. Binigay sa atin ang favorable decision,” Torrevillas said. “First time tayong nagfile ng organizing [human trafficking]. First time din na nagconvict ang court ng organizing [human trafficking].” “May mga na-acquit. Inexpect naman natin na may mga acquittal. Ang importante, ang main players natin, lahat convicted,” she continued.

Guo and her 15 co-accused were not physically present in court and attended the promulgation hearing via teleconference. Following her conviction, Guo is set to be immediately transferred to the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City. ABS-CBN News has reached out to Guo’s legal counsel, Atty. Nicole Jamilla, for comment on the guilty verdict, but has not yet received a response.

Meanwhile, the BAOFU Compound, valued at around P6 billion, will undergo proper turnover and management under government supervision, PAOCC Executive Director Benjamin Acorda Jr. said. “Depende iyan sa gusto ng ating national government. The way I understand it, may magma-manifest niyan na mas nangangailangan on the appreciation of our national government,” he said.

Guo, 35, was arrested by Indonesian police in September 2024 after fleeing the Philippines. In June of this year, the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 34 ruled that Chinese citizen Guo Hua Ping and Alice Leal Guo were the same person. Her appointment and entire mayoral term were also declared void. It said that as a Chinese citizen, Guo was never eligible to be the mayor of Bamban. The Chinese embassy on Thursday did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

The transnational scam industry has ballooned in Southeast Asia in recent years, with thousands of scammers estimated to be involved. Victims in the wider region were conned out of up to $37 billion in 2023, according to a UN report, which said global losses were likely "much larger".

The centers flourished in the Philippines under former president Rodrigo Duterte after the government regulator was given the right to issue operating licenses nationwide. President Ferdinand Marcos announced a ban on offshore gambling operations amid mounting public fury over the Guo case in 2024, ordering foreign nationals working at the sites out of the country. Sen. Risa Hontiveros, who led Senate hearings on POGOs, said Wednesday's ruling against Guo was "a victory against corruption, human trafficking, cybercrime, and many other transnational crimes." "This makes me feel hopeful about the work we do. 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," Hontiveros said. "And to all others who enabled Alice Guo’s criminal empire: the Philippines is not a playground for exploitation, infiltration, and espionage. Accountability is coming. Justice always finds a way," she added.

Acorda also called the guilty verdict a “win for the Philippines and the international community,” noting that several of the rescued victims were foreigners. “This is a victory, not only for my office, but sa lahat ng ahensyang nagtrabaho rito. This is something symbolic. What we fought for… ngayon, napatunayan natin sa pagkakaisa ng bawat ahensya at pagtutulungan. We made this possible,” he told reporters. “This is not just a victory for the government but a victory for the Philippines, for the community and pati na rin sa ibang bansa. Ang ibang biktima ay foreigners,” he added.

Former PAOCC Executive Director and now Office for Transportation Security (OTS) Administrator Undersecretary Gilbert Cruz also praised the ruling. “Dito, nakikita natin na parehas ang hustisya - regardless kung Pilipino ka or foreigner ka,” Cruz said. “Ayaw na ayaw nating masasalingan ang sovereignty natin, lalo na kung ang gumagawa nito ay taga-labas at hindi taga-rito sa atin… It took us a year and a half simula nang mapakulong natin ang mga ito. Napakalaking tuwa and a victory para sa atin ito, sa ating lahat,” he said.

Source: news.abs-cbn.com