What’s The Latest News About Alice Guo?

Bamban Mayor Alice Guo Under Scrutiny for Alleged Ties to Illegal POGOs

Alice Leal Guo, the 37-year-old mayor of Bamban, Tarlac, has come under intense scrutiny in recent months over her alleged ties to illegal Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) in her municipality.

Alice Guo, who made history in 2022 as the first female mayor of Bamban, is now the subject of a Senate investigation and faces potential tax evasion charges from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

Senate Probe Raises Questions About Guo’s Background

During a Senate hearing on May 7, 2024 presided over by Senator Risa Hontiveros, Guo struggled to recall basic details about her life and background.

The mayor, who Hontiveros says “came out of nowhere” to win the 2022 election, could not remember the house where she was born, explain why her birth was registered 17 years late, or name the homeschool program she claims to have attended through high school.

Guo’s murky background has led Hontiveros and other senators to question whether she may be a Chinese “asset” planted to infiltrate Philippine politics. Key facts that have emerged about Guo include:

• She was born on July 12, 1986 but her birth was not registered until she was 17 years old
• She grew up on a farm raising hogs with her adoptive Filipino father, but the identity of her mother is unknown
• Guo has no school records and did not attend college
• She first registered to vote in 2018 at age 31 or 32
• Guo won the 2022 mayoral election as an independent, defeating her closest rival by just 468 votes
• Her declared campaign spending in 2022 was only 1,024 pesos below the legal limit, which election experts say is unrealistic

Links to Raided POGO Hubs

Much of the suspicion around Mayor Guo stems from her alleged involvement with two illegal POGOs, Hongsheng Gaming Technology and Zun Yuan Technology, that operated out of a compound she previously co-owned called Baofu.

Hongsheng was first raided in February 2023, and Zun Yuan took its place in the same compound three months later before also being raided in March 2024. The POGOs are suspected of involvement in scams, human trafficking, and cyberattacks on government websites.

Guo admitted during the Senate hearing that she helped Hongsheng get municipal approval to operate in Bamban when she was still a private citizen and owned 50% of the Baofu compound. She claims to have sold her stake before running for mayor.

However, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian noted that Guo’s former business partner in Baofu was a fugitive who escaped the compound during the raids via a network of underground tunnels. As the land owner, Gatchalian suggested Guo must have known about the tunnels, raising further questions.

Lavish Lifestyle Raises Red Flags

Guo’s extravagant lifestyle and assets have also drawn scrutiny, as they appear disproportionate to her declared income and business interests. Some of the red flags include:

• Guo owns a limited edition McLaren 620R luxury sports car worth around 16.7 million pesos. Only 225 of the vehicles were made before McLaren stopped production in 2021.
• She admitted during the Senate hearing to previously owning a private helicopter as well.
• Guo declared a net worth of 429 million pesos in her initial June 2022 SALN, which she then amended down to 286 million, before revising it back up to include more properties and assets.
• Her business interests include at least 11 companies incorporated since 2010, her first one when she was 24 years old. But their earnings do not seem to justify her immense wealth.

BIR Launches Tax Evasion Probe

Prompted by the revelations from the Senate investigation, the Bureau of Internal Revenue has launched its own probe into Guo’s finances to determine if criminal tax evasion charges are warranted.

BIR Commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr. said the agency will fully cooperate with the Senate’s efforts and conduct a parallel investigation into Guo and various companies linked to her. If her declared income does not match the value of properties and assets acquired in the same period, Lumagui said tax evasion cases will be filed against Guo and any conspirators.

Senator Hontiveros said she would not be surprised to see Guo charged, noting that “nearly all of the documents under her name are questionable,” from her late-registered birth certificate to her fluctuating SALN. Hontiveros advised the mayor to “come clean” and “tell the truth before it’s too late.”

Suspension and Disqualification Possible

In addition to the BIR investigation, Guo is also facing administrative sanctions over her alleged POGO links. The Office of the Ombudsman has already ordered Guo to be suspended for up to 6 months in connection with graft charges filed by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

The DILG accused Guo of allowing the illegal POGOs to operate in Bamban. While Guo has appealed the suspension order, calling the charges baseless, she could face further penalties.

Comelec Chairman George Garcia noted that while the poll body accepts certificates of candidacy in good faith, Guo could still be held liable for perjury if her declarations are proven false. He said any citizen can file a quo warranto petition in court to challenge Guo’s citizenship and eligibility to serve as mayor.

Senators Renew Call for POGO Ban

The revelations about Guo’s case have reinvigorated calls from senators and other officials to completely ban POGOs in the Philippines. While the offshore gaming industry generates significant revenue, it has been plagued by crime, corruption and social ills.

Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno said the government is carefully studying the proposed POGO ban, but is also consulting with PAGCOR on the potential economic impact. Diokno noted that many businesses labeled as POGOs are really fronts for other illegal activities.

Senators Hontiveros and Gatchalian have commended the BIR’s swift action on Guo’s case, saying her companies’ finances don’t add up. Hontiveros said her Senate committee is ready to share its evidence with the BIR to assist the tax evasion probe.

The Future for Guo Remains Uncertain

As the investigations into her background and alleged POGO ties move forward, Alice Guo’s political future remains very much in doubt. If the charges against her are substantiated, she could face years in prison and be permanently barred from public office.

The case has already sparked a broader discussion about the need for tighter scrutiny of candidates’ backgrounds and more safeguards against foreign meddling in Philippine politics. Some have even called for a review of the country’s liberal policy on granting citizenship, especially to those with suspicious wealth.

For Mayor Guo, who rose from obscurity to become the unlikely chief executive of Bamban, the walls appear to be closing in fast. While she maintains her innocence, the questions about her identity, background and business dealings are only mounting.

As Senator Hontiveros put it, the truth about Alice Guo needs to come out, as a matter of national security. For now, the beleaguered mayor’s best hope may be to heed the senator’s advice – come clean before it’s too late.