Dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo – a Chinese woman who faked Philippine nationality – was found guilty of qualified trafficking in persons over the operations of an illegal POGO hub in her municipality.
According to the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), the Pasig regional trial court Branch 167 sentenced Guo and three others to life imprisonment and imposed a P2 million fine.
The court also ordered Guo’s immediate transfer to the Correctional Institute for Women in Mandaluyong City from the Pasig city jail.
Deputy State Prosecutor Olivia Torrevillas said the 35-year-old Guo and 7 other defendants, all of whom appeared via videolink, were found guilty beyond reasonable doubt.
“After over just one year, the court… gave us a favorable decision. Alice [Guo] was convicted along with seven other co-accused. Life imprisonment,” Torrevillas said.
“It is the first time that the Department filed a case of organizing human trafficking. It is also the first time that the court has convicted under [the said charge],” she added.
Justice Undersecretary Nicholas Ty said the conviction was a “big win” for the Department of Justice.
“We are happy with the conviction because this is the fruit of all our work…We are happy that justice has been served, not only in the conviction of Alice Guo and others, but also in the forfeiture of the Bamban property,” Ty added.
The POGO hub, operated by Zun Yuan Technology, was located on a property leased by Guo’s Baofu company.
Aside from Guo, the court also convicted Jaimielyn Santos Cruz, Rachelle Malonzo Carreon, and Walter Wong Rong in the charge of organizing trafficking.
Meanwhile, the court found Wang Weili, Wuli Dong, Nong Ding Chang, Lang Xu Po guilty for acts of trafficking.
The Baofu compound was also forfeited in the favor of the government.
The sprawling POGO complex, which included office buildings, luxury villas and a large swimming pool, was raided last year after a Vietnamese worker escaped and called the police.
More than 700 Filipinos, Chinese, Vietnamese, Malaysians, Taiwanese, Indonesians and Rwandans were found on site.
Guo was arrested by Indonesian police in September 2024 after fleeing the Philippines. She still faces cases involving charges of money laundering and graft.
Senators welcomed Guo’s conviction, calling the ruling a clear signal that authorities are prepared to confront abuses tied to offshore gambling operations.
“This Senate investigation delivered unprecedented results: It helped secure a presidential executive order banning POGOs, provided evidence towards a guilty verdict, sending a criminal to prison for life, and contributed to the passage of the Anti-POGO Law of 2025,” Senator Risa 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.
Senator Bam Aquino said the speed of the court’s action shows that criminal groups can be held accountable when authorities move decisively.
“Now that we are focused on flood control and government irregularities, the arrest of those involved in corruption in our country should move just as quickly,” he said.
Mamamayang Liberal Rep. Leila de Lima added: “The conviction of Alice Guo and the passage of Anti-POGO Act should bolster the government’s resolve to continue tightening and widening its crackdown on criminal syndicates and illegal enterprises which serve as a hotbed of crimes, including human trafficking.”
The Chinese embassy 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.”
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. 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.
Last month, he signed the Anti-POGO Act that institutionalizes the ban on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators.
Mr. Marcos said that banning all POGOs will solve many of the problems the Philippines is encountering.
Under the new law, first time violators will face imprisonment of 6 to 8 years and a fine between P300,000 and P15 million; for the second offense will be imprisonment of 8 years and 1 day to 10 years and a fine between P15 million and P30 million; and for the third offense will be imprisonment of 10 years and 1 day to 12 years and a fine between P30 million and P50 million.
If the offender is a public official or employee, the maximum penalty under the applicable category will be imposed. If the guilty party is a foreigner, he or she will be deported immediately after serving their sentence and permanently banned from re-entering the Philippines. With AFP
